What is listeria? Here’s what you need to know
Learn about Listeria, its symptoms and essential preventive measures to safeguard against the food borne illness.
Frozen nutrition shakes sold to long-term care facilities and other care institutions have been linked to a deadly listeria outbreak, prompting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to announce a nationwide recall.
The FDA announced its investigation into the outbreak Friday, saying it is working with the CDC and local agencies to track the multistate rash of illnesses, many of which occurred in patients of hospitals and nursing homes. The manufacturer also issued a voluntary recall notice for the impacted products – frozen supplemental meal shakes sold under the brand names Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial.
The recall covers all Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial frozen supplemental shakes within shelf-life.
As of Feb. 21, the FDA was aware of 38 illnesses linked to the outbreak across 21 states. Of the 38, all but one were hospitalized and 11 died. Nearly 90% of sick people reported living in long-term care facilities or were hospitalized before becoming sick.
The CDC had previously begun tracking the same outbreak in 2018, with 20 cases cropping up throughout 2024 and 2025. During the prior investigations, epidemiologists were unable to identify the source of the illnesses. Current case numbers include those that occurred between the initial 2018 incident and now, as the outbreak is ongoing.
The news comes amid reports that the FDA is working to rehire roughly 300 employees who were fired in the Trump-Musk employee-cutting rampage. A re-hiring spree is also underway at the USDA, where officials are scrambling to get key bird flu response workers back on board.
Which states have related listeria cases?
There are currently 21 states with known listeria outbreaks related to this recall:
- Alabama
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Nevada
- New York
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Washington
- West Virginia
What is listeriosis or listeria poisoning?
Listeriosis, or listeria poisoning, is a foodborne bacterial infection most commonly caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. It is considered a serious condition and can be dangerous or life-threatening, especially to older adults, people with weak immune systems and pregnant people.
Signs and symptoms of listeriosis can take weeks after consumption to appear. Persons in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food, says the USDA.
According to the USDA, symptoms include:
- Fever
- Muscle aches
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Confusion
- Loss of balance
- Convulsions
- Diarrhea
- Other gastrointestinal symptoms
- Miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery and/or life-threatening infection of newborn infants
- Death
Another foodborne outbreak
The Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial recall is the second major one of 2025 linked to a foodborne illness outbreak.
Last month, the FDA and CDC, in tandem with Canadian health authorities, announced a recall for Sweet Cream-brand mini pastries with best-by dates from 2025/06/17 through 2025/11/15. The ready-to-eat pastries were imported from Canada and sold at food service locations such as hotel cafes, bakeries and restaurants and have been linked to an outbreak of salmonella infections.
As of the last update provided by the FDA on January 29, a total of 18 people across seven states became infected with the outbreak strain of salmonella. Of those 18, one person was hospitalized and no deaths were reported. According to the January 29 data, cases of illness were reported in California, Illinois, Massachusetts,, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania,
In a break from its usual conduct, the CDC has failed to update its tracking webpages to include either outbreak. USA TODAY reached out to the agency for more information on foodborne illness tracking and reporting and the two outbreaks.
