Updated February 24 with an additional illness and fatality. Sysco Imperial and Lyons ReadyCare frozen supplemental shakes sold to hospitals and long-term care facilities are the source of a deadly Listeria outbreak. The outbreak began in 2018 but most of the illnesses were reported in 2024 and 2025.
At least 38 people in 21 states have been sickened. Twelve people have died.
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Frozen Shakes Listeria Outbreak
Both brands of the supplemental shakes were produced by Prairie Farms Dairy Inc. of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback data show that these shakes are the source of this outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Lyons Magnus distributed both brands of these shakes to long-term care facilities nationwide. On February 22, the company issued a recall and halted purchases from the implicated Prairie Farms facility.
The 21 states reporting illnesses are: AL, CA, CO, CT, FL, IL, IN, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, NV, NY, OH, OK, PA, TN, TX, WA, and WV. Fatalities were reported from California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.
The patients range in age from 43 to 101 years old. All but one of the 38 patients required hospitalization. Thirty-four of them lived in long-term care facilities or were hospitalized before they became ill. Facility records reviewed by investigators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed Sysco Imperial or Lyons ReadyCare nutritional shakes were available to residents and patients.
Outbreak and Investigations Began in 2018
The CDC investigated this outbreak in 2018, 2021, and 2023, but there was not enough information to identify a specific food source. After six new illnesses were reported in October 2024, the CDC reopened the investigation.
Health officials use a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS) to identify the genetic “fingerprint” of bacteria that made someone sick. When several people are sickened by bacteria with the same fingerprint, it suggests they got sick from the same food. That was the case in this outbreak.
The FDA reviewed food records from long-term care facilities and identified the shakes as a food item that outbreak patients had consumed. With the help of state partners, the agency tracked down where the products were made, collected samples, and tested them. The outbreak strain was found in environmental samples collected from Prairie Farms.
A statement to Just Food from Prairie Farms Dairy CEO Matt McClelland said the company has issued a recall for shakes produced at the Fort Wayne facility and ceased production of shakes there.
Experienced Listeria Lawyers
The Pritzker Hageman Listeria lawyers have an unequaled track record. Our firm has represented clients in every major Listeria outbreak and has obtained numerous million and multi-million-dollar recoveries.
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