Twelve people have now died in a multi-state listeria outbreak connected to frozen supplemental shakes. The FDA on Monday announced a recall of 4 oz. shakes manufactured by Prairie Farms Dairy due to a potential contamination of listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cause serious listeriosis infections, especially in the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. As CNN reports, the supplemental shakes are mostly served in hospitals and long-term care facilities and are sold under the brands Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial.
Some 38 people in 21 states have been affected with the strain, resulting in 12 deaths. All but one infected person were hospitalized, per Quartz. There are probably many more cases than those reported, the CDC said Monday. It said it investigated sick people in long-term care in 2018, 2021, and again in 2023 but could not tie the illnesses to a specific food, per CBS News. The CDC said it reopened an investigation in October after it was made aware of six new cases. Twenty cases were reported from 2024 up until this month, when listeria monocytogenes was identified in samples taken from the processing area of Prairie Farms' facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The FDA warned listeria infections could trigger miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women. Even healthy people can experience high fever, headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, per Quartz. It can take weeks for symptoms to appear. The FDA said distributors and food service providers who purchased the shakes in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and strawberry banana flavors, with a best by date in the year before Feb. 21, 2026, shouldn't sell or serve them, and should clean and sanitize any surface that came into contact with the product, including refrigerators. (More listeria stories.)
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