Three die from ready-to-eat meals sold at Walmart and Kroger
Federal officials are investigating the deaths of three people and a pregnancy loss in connection to listeria contamination of ready meals sold at retail giants Walmart and Kroger.
FreshRealm locations in California, Georgia and Indiana are recalling chicken fettuccine alfredo products over listeria concerns.
The company, a food distributor, made the announcement Tuesday, saying it was recalling all products produced before June 17, 2025.
The US Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is investigating the outbreak, which has sickened 17 people in 13 states. Three people have died and there has been one 'fetal loss' associated with the outbreak.
The affected products include 32.8oz and 12.3oz trays of Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettucine pasta with best-by dates of June 26 and 27, 2025.
Also included in the recall is 12.5oz trays of Home Chef Heat & Eat Chicken Fettucine Alfredo pasta with a best-by date of June 19,2025 or before.
The meals are sold nationwide at Walmart, under the Marketside brand, and Kroger, under the Home Chef brand.
A listeria infection usually causes fever, headache and diarrhea in most people, but it can be deadly for pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and those with weak immune systems.
The products will also include one of several establishment numbers — 'EST. P-50784,' 'EST. P-47770' or 'EST. P-47718' — on the package, as well as the USDA mark of inspection.
Consumers are urged to not eat the products and should either throw them away or return them to place of purchase.
FreshRealm said: 'Out of an abundance of caution, FreshRealm is recalling the product while the investigation proceeds.
'The investigation will focus on how Listeria may have entered the product, and whether it entered from a FreshRealm facility, or through any of the ingredients that FreshRealm received from external ingredient suppliers.'
Despite the FSIS' announcement of the fatalities associated with the recall, FreshRealm said it has not received any direct reports of illness related to the products but has received information on cases from regulatory agencies.
The company added: 'The recalled product has not been established as a cause of any of these cases.'
No details on the individual cases has been released.
People can become infected with listeria from contaminated food items such as seafood, deli meats, hot dogs, unpasteurized fruit juices, soft cheeses and sprouts.
The bacteria can survive the stomach acid and travel to the intestine, from which they may migrate into the bloodstream.
Most healthy adults will start to feel sick within a couple of days of consuming contaminated food.
It usually starts with flu-like symptoms - a fever, muscle aches or nausea - before progressing to vomiting and diarrhea.
But some people begin to feel sick weeks or months after the initial infection.
In severe cases, the infection can spread to the central nervous system and cause a stiff neck, seizures, confusion and a loss of balance.
Listeria can also lead to meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord or pus buildup in the brain which can be deadly to human life.
Pregnant women may have mild or no symptoms but can still pass the infection to the fetus, according to the Cleveland Clinic, potentially resulting in a miscarriage.
Babies born with a listeria infection can have developmental delays, develop blindness, paralysis and may even face organ failure - which could lead to death.
Every year, about 1,600 people Americans end up with listeria out of which nearly 300 die from the infection.
Treatment for listeria infections usually includes taking antibiotics such as sulfamethoxazole and ampicillin.
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