At least 10 people have been hospitalized with a deadly food-borne illness tied to to-go sandwiches, according to an ongoing federal investigation.
FDA investigators found listeria on company equipment at a factory run by Fresh & Ready Foods, based out of San Fernando in California.
Over 80 different products have been pulled, including sandwiches, pastas, and snack boxes.
They were sold or provided in hospitals, hotels, corporate offices, convenience stores, airports, and airlines.
The products have best-buy dates from April 22 to May 19 under brand names Fresh & Ready Foods, City Point Market Fresh Food to Go, and Fresh Take Crave Away.
They were distributed to various facilities in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Washington and the patients have been hospitalized in California and Nevada.
FDA and CDC investigators first flagged the outbreak in 2024 by looking at hospital admissions and public health data, with the last case reported in January last year. But the FDA couldn’t pinpoint its source.
The break came in April 2025, when routine testing at a Fresh & Ready Foods facility uncovered listeria strains on production equipment that genetically matched the outbreak strain.
The products have best-buy dates from April 22 to May 19 under brand names Fresh & Ready Foods, City Point Market Fresh Food to Go, and Fresh Take Crave Away
‘Whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis confirmed that the strain of Listeria found at Fresh & Ready Foods, LLC matches the strain of Listeria causing illnesses in this outbreak,’ according to the FDA.
Listeriosis is caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes and can range from mild to severe.
More mild cases resemble the flu, causing fever, nausea and vomiting, muscle aches, and headache. But infection can be deadly for certain vulnerable groups.
In pregnant women, listeria raises the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, health problems for the newborn, and infant death.
Other symptoms in adults include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions, and death.
Most healthy adults do not get severely ill, but because the immune system wanes in older age, seniors over 65 are more likely to die.
Around 90 percent of people with listeriosis, the infection caused by listeria, require hospitalization, while 20 and 30 percent of patients die. The CDC estimates that of 1,600 cases every year, roughly 260 do not survive.
The FDA reported all of the 86 products that have been recalled.
During the investigation, the CDC, along with state and local health officials, asked six of the 10 infected people what foods they ate before getting sick.
Of the six people they were able to interview, all were hospitalized and later tested positive for Listeria.
Health officials confirmed at least three of the six interviewed patients had eaten the recalled products while at several types of facilities – hospitals, hotels, corporate offices, convenience stores, airports, and airlines.
The investigation showed ready-to-eat foods from Fresh & Ready Foods, LLC had been served in at least three of those locations.
As of May 9, 2025, 10 people in two states have gotten sick from this strain of Listeria, and all 10 have been hospitalized.
Fresh & Ready Foods LLC of San Fernando, California, pulled over 80 types of products, such as sandwiches, pastas, and snack boxes, from hospitals, hotels, corporate offices, convenience stores, airports, and airlines
As of May 9, 2025, 10 people in two states have gotten sick from this strain of Listeria, and all 10 have been hospitalized. Eight of them occurred in California, while two were confirmed in Nevada
Eight of them occurred in California, while two were confirmed in Nevada.
For its part, the company said in a statement: ‘Fresh & Ready Foods has taken immediate corrective actions, including removing equipment to address this issue to ensure ongoing food safety and compliance with FDA guidance.’
While listeriosis can resemble run-of-the-mill flu-like symptoms that come on within about 24 hours of eating the contaminated food, it can be devastating for specific patient populations.
In severe cases, the infection can cause a dangerously high fever, severe headache, or a stiff neck that could point to brain swelling, confusion, or seizures, and sepsis, or bloodstream infections.
The infection has also been tied to other neurological disorders, including inflammation of spinal cord membranes (meningitis), a brainstem infection, difficulty breathing, double vision, and paralysis.
Michael Silberman, 86, used to be an active Florida senior — until a seemingly harmless turkey sandwich left him sedated in a hospital bed for weeks, his body wracked by violent seizures.
Now, the once-independent grandfather shuffles through his home with a walker, unable to drive, shop for groceries, or even help his arthritic wife, Barbara, with daily tasks.
Silberman blames his drastic decline on a Boar’s Head turkey sandwich he ate months ago — part of a wave of recalled deli meats tied to a deadly listeria outbreak.
Pictured above is Michael Silberman, 86, and his wife Barbara. Before catching listeria, Mr Silberman was living independently and able to care for his wife
His age made him a prime target for the food-borne bacteria, which hits hardest at the elderly, pregnant women, and those on immune-suppressing drugs that cripple the body’s defenses.
Listeria lurks in contaminated food tainted by unclean water, soil, or surfaces. Once ingested, the bacteria can survive stomach acid, invade the intestines, and infiltrate the bloodstream.
For Silberman, the bacterial invasion began with the purchase of Boar’s Head turkey from his local Publix, bought on July 15 and eaten in sandwiches over the next few days.
Seven days later, a high fever struck. Two days after that, his wife, Barbara, dialed 911.
First responders found Silberman in distress – breathing rapidly, confused, and showing signs of sepsis. Rushed from his Delray Beach home on a stretcher, doctors quickly identified the culprit: Listeria monocytogenes.
The infection had already wreaked havoc. He was hospitalized for two weeks, battling brain swelling, cognitive impairment, and kidney failure.
Even after discharge, he faced another grueling month in rehab, rebuilding muscle ravaged by the illness.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .