If you have recently bought ready-to-eat sandwiches, pastas, or snack packs, you may want to double-check the label right away. Fresh & Ready Foods has voluntarily recalled more than 75 ready-to-eat items after a dangerous listeria outbreak left 10 people hospitalized in California and Nevada.
The recalled foods were sold under several brands:
- Fresh & Ready Foods
- City Point Market Fresh Food to Go
- Fresh Take Crave Away
These products had “Use By” dates from April 22 to May 19 and were sold between April 18 and April 28.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these items were distributed in:
- California
- Nevada
- Arizona
- Washington
You may have seen them in convenience stores, hospitals, hotels, airports, or even on airplanes. If you bought anything from these brands during this time frame, you should not eat it. Instead, throw it out and clean anything that touched the food.
What is listeria and why is it so dangerous?
Listeria is a type of bacteria that can be extremely dangerous—especially for pregnant women, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. Even healthy individuals can get seriously sick from it.
If you are wondering whether you may have been exposed, look out for these symptoms:
- Fever
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Confusion
- Diarrhea or other stomach issues
The tricky thing about listeria is that symptoms can take days or even weeks to show up after you eat contaminated food. So even if you feel fine now, you could still be at risk.
How many people have gotten sick from this listeria outbreak?
So far, 10 people have been hospitalized—eight in California and two in Nevada. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these cases happened between December 2023 and September 2024, but officials did not know the source until recently.
The investigation had been ongoing, but it was reopened last month when FDA inspectors found listeria in food samples from Fresh & Ready Foods during a routine inspection. Further testing showed that the bacteria strain matched the one responsible for the outbreak.
What should you do if you have purchased one of the recalled products?
If you think you may have bought any of the recalled items, here is what you should do right now:
- Do not eat the food.
- Throw it out immediately.
- Clean and disinfect anything (like utensils, shelves, or containers) that may have come into contact with it.
- If you start feeling sick or have any of the symptoms listed above, contact your doctor immediately.
Can listeria survive in refrigerated foods?
Yes, and this is part of what makes it so dangerous. Listeria can survive and even grow in cold environments, like your fridge. That is why ready-to-eat items, which you do not cook before eating, are especially risky if contaminated.
Even if the food looks and smells fine, that does not mean it is safe to eat. If you are in doubt, it is better to be safe and throw it out.
