Some pasta and meatball products at Walmart may be contaminated, USDA warns

(WKBN) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Thursday in a public health alert that some ready-to-eat pasta meals may be contaminated.

The USDA said that some packages of Marketside Linguini With Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes (Lm). 

The agency said the affected item was shipped to Walmart locations nationwide with the establishment number “EST. 50784” or “EST. 47718” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The affected pre-cooked pasta is packaged in 12-ounce clear plastic trays with “best if used by” dates of Sept. 22, 24, 25, 29 and 30, and Oct. 1, all of this year.

The USDA said samples of the pasta were collected as part of an ongoing investigation into a listeria outbreak linked to alfredo meals from June. The USDA said the samples tested positive for Lm, and further tests are being conducted to determine any possible link to the outbreak strain. 

The USDA said that eating Lm-contaminated food can cause listeriosis, which primarily affects older adults, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and newborns. Symptoms of the infection include “fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.”

The agency advises customers not to eat the affected pasta and to instead throw it away or return it to the store of purchase.

Anyone with questions about this alert can contact Nate’s Fine Foods at 916-677-7303 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PST Monday through Friday.

The USDA said that people with Food safety questions can be directed to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or via email to MPHotline@usda.gov.