Health officials have linked a deadly outbreak of Listeria to frozen nutritional shakes that were sold to nursing homes and hospitals nationwide.
According to the CDC Outbreak Investigation, the frozen shakes have been linked to 38 illnesses since 2018, including 37 people who were hospitalized and 12 deaths.
Most of the victims were people in hospitals, nursing homes, or long-term care facilities. The shakes were not sold in stores.
The recall involves Lyons ReadyCare Nutritional Shakes and Sysco Imperial Frozen Supplemental Shakes, which are thickened liquid shakes that come in 4-oz. cartons in flavors like Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla, and Strawberry-Banana.
The shakes were sold frozen, and then defrosted so they could be easily swallowed by residents in nursing homes or hospitals.
These high-calorie liquid shakes were given to people with trouble swallowing, people on “soft food” diets, or people who needed supplemental nutrition to prevent unintended weight-loss.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it has been investigating this outbreak since 2018, but did not have enough information to pinpoint the source of the outbreak until now.
Outbreaks in 2018, 2021, and 2023 were not linked to a specific food, but all of the victims were infected with a genetically-similar strain of Listeria, so health officials knew that a specific food was likely to blame.
After yet another cluster of illnesses sickened 6 people in October 2024, health officials inspected a facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana where the shakes were manufactured. Inspectors found the same strain of Listeria that has been making people sick for the past 7 years.
On February 22, 2025, Lyons Magnus recalled Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial Frozen Supplemental Shakes due to the outbreak.
Health officials are urging anyone who drank these shakes (or their family members) to be vigilant for symptoms of Listeria, which can take up to 10 weeks to appear:
- Fever
- Flu-like symptoms (such as muscle aches and fatigue)
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Confusion
- Loss of balance
- Seizures
- Pregnant women may have miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn baby
Source: Investigation Update: Listeria Outbreak, Supplement Shakes, February 2025