A Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that has hospitalized 10 people in two states has now been linked to ready-to-eat food from California-based Fresh & Ready foods that were served at the institutions, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a May 10 investigation update.

Eight cases are in California and two in Nevada, but the CDC said the true number is likely higher, because some people recover without medical care. No deaths have been reported.
The CDC said it first investigated the outbreak in 2024, which involved people who were hospitalized before they got sick, suggesting food served in the institutions was the likely source. However, there wasn't enough information to tie the illness to a specific food.
Positive environmental sample was a breakthrough clue
Officials reopened the investigation after the outbreak strain was found in environmental samples collected in late March from Fresh & Ready Foods. State and local health officials interviewed six patients about foods they ate in the month before they became ill. Trace-back records revealed that ready-to-eat foods from the company were served in at least three of the facilities.
On May 10 the company voluntarily recalled certain ready-to-eat foods, which included sandwich and snack items distributed during the last half of April for vending and break rooms in corporate offices, medical buildings, and healthcare facilities in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Washington state. They were sold under the Fresh & Ready Foods, City Point Market Fresh Food to Go, and Fresh Take Crave Away brands.