37 hospitalized, 12 dead after Listeria outbreak connected to supplemental shakes

A new Listeria outbreak has led to 37 people being hospitalized and 12 deaths, the Food and Drug Administration said Monday. 

The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the cases are linked to supplemental shakes from Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial. They were manufactured by Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

On Feb. 22, the company announced a recall of 17 varieties of the 4-ounce frozen supplemental shakes. The products were distributed nationwide, mostly to long-term care facilities such as nursing homes. They weren’t available for sale in traditional stores. Lyons Magnus distributed the products. 

A total of 38 people have become ill across 21 states. 

The FDA is advising hospitals, long-term care facilities and others who may have or distribute the products to not serve or sell them. In addition, workers should clean and sanitize according to FDA guidelines anything that came into contact with the shake product because of the significant risk or cross contamination. Listeria is known to grow even while refrigerated and can easily contaminate other foods as well as shelves and other surfaces.

People most vulnerable to Listeria infection include pregnant women and newborns, senior citizens and people with weakened immune systems or otherwise in fragile health. Listeria infection during pregnancy can cause a miscarriage or stillbirth.

The FDA collected samples at Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. in Fort Wayne, IN., as part of its investigation. The whole genome sequencing tests found the Listeria in these samples is “closely related to” the Listeria strain in this outbreak.

Illnesses have been reported in Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and West Virginia.

The first illness connected to this outbreak occurred Aug. 18, 2018 and increased in recent months.

In 2024, more than 100 illnesses and at least 14 deaths stemmed from Listeria contamination in foods, according to our Food for Thought 2025 analysis of food recalls in 2024. Listeria led to 22% of recalls, or 65 of the 296 recalls in 2024. There were 47 recalls because of Listeria in 2023. The CDC estimates that about 1,600 people get Listeriosis every year. About 260 die.

Overall in 2024, food recalls from Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli increased by 41% in 2024 compared with 2023, our report found.