As a busy college student and unambitious chef, the prepared food aisle has become my dear friend over the years. But not all friends can be trusted all the time, and right now, I might be on a break from some prepared and frozen foods from Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, and Trader Joe’s.
From June to October 2025, over two dozen people in 18 states have fallen ill from listeria linked to prepared pasta meals, with six of those people having died, according to the CDC. These frozen and prepared meals were sold at major grocery chains across the country, including Gen Z favorite Trader Joe’s. (Her Campus reached out to Trader Joe’s for comment, but did not hear back at the time of publication.)
The Food Safety and Inspection Service reported on Sept. 30 that samples of pasta in ready-to-eat FreshRealm products were found to be contaminated with Listeria. The pasta supplier, Nate’s Fine Foods, recalled select pasta products and released a statement, saying in part, “Since our voluntary and limited recall of select products began, the FDA has conducted extensive testing at our facility — collecting several hundred environmental samples in addition to product testing. All results have come back negative for the specific strain identified in the outbreak.”
The affected retailers with recalled products include Albertsons, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, and Kroger. Not all frozen and prepared meals need to be avoided, though. According to the FDA, these six products were voluntarily recalled due to risk of contamination:
- Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo, 16 oz.
- Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce, 12 oz.
- Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine, 12.3 oz.
- Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine, 32.8 oz.
- Home Chef Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, 12.5 oz.
- Scott & Jon’s Shrimp Scampi with Linguini Bowls, 9.6 oz.
The Trader Joe’s products with the “best if used by” dates 9/20/2025, 9/24/2025, 9/27/2025, 9/28/2025, 10/01/2025, 10/03/2025, 10/05/2025, 10/08/2025, or 10/10/2025 should be thrown away and not consumed.
While Trader Joe’s said in a statement on their website back in September that there have been no positive Listeria tests for their product, they are “issuing updated guidance to discard or return for refund” out of an abundance of caution and care for their customers.
This recall is the latest update in the national listeria outbreak, which has been under investigation since June.
Listeria, formally known as Listeria monocytogenes, is a bacterium that can end up in food during the harvesting, processing, preparing, and packaging process, and cannot be killed in frozen conditions.
Consuming contaminated food can cause a serious infection, but for many, it is not super harmful: Most people experience mild illnesses like diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. Some may not get sick at all. However, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women, and their newborns may experience more severe, even deadly symptoms.
While hearing that a scary disease is linked to beloved prepared meals is unsettling, next time you are browsing the frozen aisles, just proceed with caution. Check your labels and listen to retailers’ notices about recalls. If you experience unusual food poisoning symptoms or think you may have eaten a contaminated product, contact your health care provider right away.