This covers multistate Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks in which CDC, the FDA, and/or USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) were the lead investigating agencies, with illness activity reported or investigations advanced from January 2024 onward.
Link to 1. Queso Fresco & Cotija Cheese — Rizo-López Foods (Feb 2024) 1. Queso Fresco & Cotija Cheese — Rizo-López Foods (Feb 2024)
Lead agencies: FDA + CDC (with FSIS public health alerts for downstream products).
This was a long-running outbreak reopened and solved in early 2024. The outbreak sickened 26 people across 11 states between June 15, 2014, and December 10, 2023; 23 people were hospitalized, two people died, and two women lost their pregnancies.¹² Affected states were Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington, with the two deaths in California and Texas.³
How it was traced: A sample of Rizo Bros Aged Cotija tested positive during routine sampling by the Hawaii State Department of Health in January 2024, prompting CDC and FDA to reopen the investigation after new illnesses surfaced in December 2023.³ FDA later found the same strain in the company’s manufacturing environment, indicating the strain likely originated at the facility.⁴ Rizo-López Foods voluntarily recalled all sell-by dates of its dairy products (brands including Tio Francisco, Don Francisco, Rizo Bros, Rio Grande, Food City, La Ordena, and 365 Whole Foods Market), triggering dozens of downstream recalls of salads, sandwiches, and burritos.⁵ On October 8, 2024, a federal court entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Rizo Lopez Foods and co-owners Edwin and Tomas Rizo, barring production until federal compliance.⁶
Marler Clark / Bill Marler: The firm publicly launched an investigation and was retained by victims. Bill Marler commented that with an estimated 255 Listeria deaths annually and a 15–30% case fatality rate, companies that manufacture high-risk foods need to do a far better job at eliminating the risk of resident Listeria bacteria.³ A Marler Blog post was explicitly headlined to note the firm had been retained by victims in this outbreak.⁷
Link to 2. Deli Meats — Boar’s Head (July 2024) 2. Deli Meats — Boar’s Head (July 2024)
Lead agencies: USDA-FSIS + CDC (FSIS regulates the meat).
This was the largest US listeriosis outbreak in over a decade. Per CDC, the outbreak resulted in 61 cases across 19 states, with 60 hospitalizations and ten deaths.⁸ CDC called it the largest listeriosis outbreak since the 2011 outbreak linked to cantaloupe.⁹ In interviews, 23 of 24 sick people reported eating meats sliced at deli counters, and an unopened Boar’s Head liverwurst product tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.¹⁰
The recall and conditions: FSIS announced that Boar’s Head expanded its July 26, 2024 recall on July 30, recalling roughly 7 million additional pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry — 71 products produced between May 10 and July 29, 2024, under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brands.¹¹ USDA inspectors had logged 69 regulatory violations at the Jarratt, Virginia plant between August 2023 and August 2024, with observations of black mold, mildew, insects, blood pooling on the floor, and foul odors.¹²
Marler Clark / Bill Marler: This is the outbreak with the firm’s most extensive documented litigation. Marler Clark filed multiple Listeria wrongful death complaints against Boar’s Head — including one in Federal Court in New York (#1:24-cv-07184) and two in Federal Court in Virginia (#3:24-cv-00737 and #3:24-cv-00739).¹³ One named client was Robert Hamilton, age 73, who consumed liverwurst purchased in Hicksville, New York.
Link to 3. Ready-to-Eat Meat & Poultry — Yu Shang Food, Inc. (Nov 2024) 3. Ready-to-Eat Meat & Poultry — Yu Shang Food, Inc. (Nov 2024)
Lead agencies: USDA-FSIS + CDC.
As of December 5, 2024, 19 people from eight states were infected with the outbreak strains of Listeria, with samples collected from October 24, 2021, to October 28, 2024, and 17 of 19 (89%) hospitalized.¹⁴ The outbreak was notable for severe pregnancy-related outcomes: in California, a mother and her twins were sick and both infants died; in Tennessee, a mother and her infant were sick and the infant died. Because Listeria could not be confirmed in one twin’s sample, only the mother and one twin were counted as confirmed cases.¹⁵
How it was traced: On October 21, 2024, FSIS routine testing confirmed a Yu Shang Food product (pork snout) was contaminated, and whole genome sequencing showed the Listeria was closely related to bacteria from sick people.¹⁴ Yu Shang Food recalled ready-to-eat meat and poultry products on November 9, 2024, then expanded the recall on November 21, 2024. A second strain was later identified in additional sampling, which expanded the case count.¹⁶
Marler Clark / Bill Marler: The firm announced it was investigating the outbreak and representing victims, publishing case details across its Marler Blog and Food Poison Journal platforms. No specific public settlement figure or named docket was identified for this outbreak (as was found for Boar’s Head); the documented role here was investigation and victim representation.
Link to 4. Frozen Supplemental Shakes — Lyons ReadyCare / Sysco Imperial (Feb 2025) 4. Frozen Supplemental Shakes — Lyons ReadyCare / Sysco Imperial (Feb 2025)
Lead agencies: FDA + CDC. Manufactured by Prairie Farms.
One of the deadliest in recent years. As of May 16, 2025, when the outbreak was declared over, 42 people across 21 states had been infected, with illness onset dates ranging from August 17, 2018, to March 13, 2025, and 41 of 42 hospitalized.¹⁹A total of 14 deaths were reported from nine states (California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington), and most of the sick lived in long-term care facilities or were hospitalized before becoming ill.¹⁹
How it was traced: FDA was notified on November 25, 2024, of an outbreak with many ill people in long-term care facilities; traceback showed the facilities received either Lyons ReadyCare or Sysco Imperial frozen supplemental shakes, and FDA found the outbreak strain in environmental samples.²⁰ Lyons Magnus LLC voluntarily recalled the 4-oz shakes — manufactured by Prairie Farms at its Fort Wayne, Indiana facility — on February 22, 2025.²⁰
Marler Clark / Bill Marler: The firm filed suit and was openly critical of the public-health response. On August 8, 2025, Marler Clark filed a Listeria lawsuit for Emman Wills on behalf of her deceased husband John against Lyons Magnus and Prairie Farms Dairy, in Contra Costa County, California (complaint No. C25-02227).²¹ Marler said he had personally informed the family that their husband/father died from Listeria — something they had not known despite officials knowing the source for over a year — and questioned why outbreak victims and families are often never told the source of their illness or death.²¹ Earlier, in February 2025, Marler criticized the lack of active reporting, noting the CDC site had not published anything about the outbreaks or announced the recalls, calling active recall reporting imperative to prevent more illnesses.²²
Link to 5. Ready-to-Eat Foods (Sandwiches) — Fresh & Ready Foods LLC (May 2025) 5. Ready-to-Eat Foods (Sandwiches) — Fresh & Ready Foods LLC (May 2025)
Lead agencies: FDA + CDC.
A total of 10 people across two states were infected, with samples collected from December 3, 2023, to September 9, 2024; all 10 were hospitalized and one death was reported from Nevada.²³ All six interviewed cases had been hospitalized before becoming sick, and records showed Fresh & Ready Foods ready-to-eat foods were served in at least three facilities.²³
How it was traced: On March 31, 2025, FDA collected environmental samples at Fresh & Ready Foods, LLC for testing.²³ On May 10, 2025, the company recalled several ready-to-eat products — sandwiches and snack items — under brand names including Fresh & Ready Foods, City Point Market Fresh Food to Go, and Fresh Take Crave Away.²⁴ FDA issued a warning letter to the company on November 15, 2025, outlining food safety law violations (a related warning letter went to Compass Group USA on September 5, 2025).²⁵
Marler Clark / Bill Marler: The firm covered this outbreak on its blogs alongside the FreshRealm pasta outbreak and held itself out as representing victims, publishing the outbreak details.²⁶ The documented role was publicity and investigation; no specific named lawsuit docket for this outbreak was identified in the sources reviewed.
Link to 6. Prepared Pasta Meals / Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo — FreshRealm (June 2025) 6. Prepared Pasta Meals / Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo — FreshRealm (June 2025)
Lead agencies: USDA-FSIS + FDA + CDC. Contaminated pasta from Nate’s Fine Foods.
This outbreak grew substantially over its run and was only recently closed. As of its closure (CDC page updated February 12, 2026), the final tally was 28 cases across 19 states, with 27 hospitalizations and 7 deaths.²⁷ One pregnancy-associated illness resulted in a fetal loss, and illness onset spanned August 2024 to roughly October 2025.²⁸
How it was traced: On March 19, 2025, FSIS identified the outbreak strain in a routine sample of FreshRealm chicken fettuccine alfredo; FreshRealm’s testing then found the same strain in a beef meatball linguine marinara meal and in the pasta used in the meals.²⁹ On June 17, 2025, FreshRealm recalled chicken fettuccine alfredo products sold at Kroger and Walmart — including Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine (12.3-oz and 32.8-oz) and Home Chef Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (12.5-oz).³⁰ On September 30, 2025, the pasta supplier, Nate’s Fine Foods, expanded its recall of pre-cooked pasta after a linguine sample tested positive.²⁸
Marler Clark / Bill Marler: The firm covered this outbreak extensively across Marler Clark, Marler Blog, and listeriablog.com, framing it as the Kroger and Walmart Pasta Listeria Outbreak and tracking the case counts as they climbed, positioning itself as representing victims and soliciting cases.²⁹ Marler also used the outbreak to publicly question whether FDA and CDC staff were being paid to inform and protect the public amid simultaneous Listeria and Salmonella outbreaks — a reference to government staffing concerns during that period.³¹
Link to References References
- After Deadly Listeria Outbreak, Court Shutters Rizo Lopez Cheese. Pritzker Hageman Law Firm. https://www.pritzkerlaw.com/personal-injury/2024/after-deadly-listeria-outbreak-court-shutters-rizo-lopez-cheese/
- Court Orders Rizo Lopez Foods to Stop Production Until Further Notice After Deadly, Decade-Long Listeria Outbreak. Food Safety Magazine, Oct. 11, 2024. https://www.food-safety.com/articles/9805-court-orders-rizo-lopez-foods-to-stop-production-until-further-notice-after-deadly-decade-long-listeria-outbreak
- Marler Clark Launches Investigation into Deadly Listeria Cheese Outbreak. Marler Clark, Feb. 7, 2024. https://marlerclark.com/news_events/marler-clark-launches-investigation-into-deadly-listeria-cheese-outbreak
- Federal Court Enters Consent Decree Against Rizo Lopez Foods Inc. PR Newswire, Oct. 9, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/federal-court-enters-consent-decree-against-rizo-lopez-foods-inc-following-multistate-outbreak-of-listeriosis-linked-to-queso-fresco-and-cotija-cheese-products-302271521.html
- 2024 Recalls of Food Products Associated with Dairy Products from Rizo Lopez Foods, Inc. U.S. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/safety/major-product-recalls/2024-recalls-food-products-associated-dairy-products-rizo-lopez-foods-inc-due-potential-risk
- Rizo Lopez Foods barred from manufacturing after listeria outbreak investigation. Manufacturing Dive, Oct. 22, 2024. https://www.manufacturingdive.com/news/rizo-lopez-foods-consent-decree-doj-halt-manufacturing-listeria-outbreak-fda-investigation/730592/
- More food products with Rizo-Lopez Cheese recalled due to Listeria illnesses and deaths — Marler Clark retained by victims. Marler Blog, Feb. 14, 2024. https://www.marlerblog.com/case-news/more-food-products-with-rizo-lopez-cheese-recalled-due-to-listeria-illnesses-and-deaths-marler-clark-retained-by-victims/
- Boar’s Head reaches $3.1m preliminary settlement in listeria lawsuit. WFMJ.com. https://www.wfmj.com/story/52678846/boars-head-reaches-dollar31m-preliminary-settlement-in-listeria-lawsuit
- More illnesses and deaths in Listeria outbreak linked to deli meats. CDC Newsroom, Aug. 28, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/s0828-listeria-outbreak-deli-meats.html
- CDC Investigating Multistate Outbreak of Listeria Infections Linked to Meats Sliced at Delis. CDC Newsroom, July 26, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/s0726-listeria.html
- Marler Clark filed first wrongful death Listeria Lawsuit in New York against Boar’s Head. Marler Blog. https://www.marlerblog.com/case-news/marler-clark-filed-first-wrongful-death-listeria-lawsuit-in-new-york-against-boars-head/
- 2024 United States listeriosis outbreak. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_listeriosis_outbreak
- Marler Clark files three more Listeria lawsuits against Boar’s Head. PR Newswire, Oct. 22, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marler-clark-files-three-more-listeria-lawsuits-against-boars-head-302283277.html
- Investigation Update: Listeria Outbreak, Meat and Poultry Products, 2024. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/meat-and-poultry-products-11-24/investigation.html
- Another Deadly Listeria Outbreak linked to Ready to Eat Meat. Marler Blog. https://www.marlerblog.com/case-news/another-deadly-listeria-outbreak-linked-to-ready-to-eat-meat/
- CDC warns of Listeria linked to ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. CDC Newsroom, Nov. 22, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/m1122-listeria-outbreak.html
- Yu Shang Food linked to Listeria Outbreak and Deaths. Food Poison Journal, Nov. 23, 2024. https://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/food-poisoning-information/yu-shang-food-linked-to-listeria-outbreak-and-deaths/
- Yu Shang Listeria Outbreak Lawsuit. Ron Simon & Associates. https://www.ronsimonassociates.com/food-outbreaks/outbreaks/yu-shang-listeria-lawsuit/
- Investigation Update: Listeria Outbreak, Supplement Shakes, February 2025. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/shakes-022025/investigation.html
- Outbreak Investigation of Listeria monocytogenes: Frozen Supplemental Shakes (February 2025). U.S. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-listeria-monocytogenes-frozen-supplemental-shakes-february-2025
- Marler Clark files first Federal Listeria Lawsuit in Multi-State Shake Outbreak. Marler Clark / PR Newswire, Aug. 8, 2025. https://marlerclark.com/news_events/marler-clark-files-first-federal-listeria-lawsuit-in-multi-state-shake-outbreak-family-never-told-by-public-health-of-the-link-to-the-outbreak
- Listeria Linked to Frozen Shakes Kills 11 People. Word In Black, Feb. 25, 2025. https://wordinblack.com/2025/02/listeria-linked-to-frozen-shakes-kills-11-people/
- Investigation Update: Listeria Outbreak, Ready-to-Eat Foods, May 2025. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/ready-to-eat-foods-may-2025/investigation.html
- Outbreak Investigation of Listeria monocytogenes: Ready-to-Eat Foods (May 2025). U.S. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-listeria-monocytogenes-ready-eat-foods-may-2025
- FDA investigated more than 30 outbreaks in 2025. Food Safety News, Dec. 30, 2025. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/12/fda-investigated-more-than-30-outbreaks-in-2025/
- Fresh & Ready Sandwiches and FreshRealm Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Listeria Outbreaks. Marler Blog, Aug. 5, 2025. https://www.marlerblog.com/case-news/fresh-ready-sandwiches-and-freshrealm-chicken-fettuccine-alfredo-listeria-outbreaks/
- Listeria Outbreak Linked to Prepared Pasta Meals (closure update). CDC, Feb. 12, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/chicken-fettuccine-alfredo-06-25/index.html
- Outbreak Investigation of Listeria monocytogenes: Prepared Pasta Meals (June 2025). U.S. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-listeria-monocytogenes-prepared-pasta-meals-june-2025
- Kroger and Walmart Pasta Listeria Outbreak. Marler Clark. https://marlerclark.com/kroger-and-walmart-pasta-listeria-outbreak
- Listeria Outbreak linked to Kroger and Walmart Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (FSIS recall detail). Marler Clark. https://marlerclark.com/listeria-outbreak-linked-to-kroger-and-walmart-chicken-fettuccine
- Pasta Listeria Outbreak — “When in Doubt, Throw it Out.” Marler Blog. https://www.marlerblog.com/case-news/pasta-listeria-outbreak-when-in-doubt-throw-it-out/