Urgent Pasta Recall Over Possible Listeria Contamination

Who is most at risk from listeriosis after the latest pasta recall? Here’s what consumers should know about the recalled products, symptoms and health risks.

Customers are being urged not to eat three pasta products sold at Asda and Morrisons after food manufacturer Greencore issued an urgent recall over possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. ()

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has warned that the bacteria can cause serious illness in vulnerable people, including pregnant women, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.

Three Pasta Products Affected

The recall affects three ready-to-eat pasta products supplied by Greencore and sold through Asda and Morrisons. The affected products are Asda Cheese & Tomato Pasta Salad (300g), product code 5063089221990, with a use-by date of August 10, 2026; Asda Nacho Cheese Pasta Salad (500g), product code 5063717198311, with a use-by date of August 9, 2026; and Morrisons Chicken and Bacon Pasta (300g), product code 5010251790587, with a use-by date of August 7, 2026.

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) said the products are being recalled because of the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes, with the recall applying across England, Scotland and Wales. Since these are ready-to-eat products that are normally consumed without further cooking, customers are advised to check the product details carefully and avoid eating any affected packs.

Customers Told Not To Eat The Products

People who have purchased any of the three products have been advised not to eat them. Instead, customers should return the product to the store where it was purchased for a full refund. The FSA says customers do not need to provide a receipt to receive their money back.

Greencore is recalling the products, while point-of-sale notices are being displayed in stores to alert customers to the potential health risk. Anyone who is unsure whether a pasta product is included in the recall should check the product code, pack size and use-by date rather than relying only on the product name.

Why Listeria Is A Concern

Listeria monocytogenes is a type of bacteria that can contaminate food and cause an infection known as listeriosis. For many healthy people, listeriosis may cause relatively mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. However, the infection can occasionally become serious and lead to complications such as meningitis.

Symptoms can include a high temperature, muscle aches or pain, chills, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The symptoms can sometimes resemble those of flu, which may make it difficult for people to immediately recognize that they have a foodborne infection.

Who Is Most At Risk From Listeriosis?

Although anyone can become infected with Listeria, some groups face a higher risk of serious illness. The FSA specifically identifies people over 65, pregnant women and their unborn babies, babies younger than one month and people with weakened immune systems as more vulnerable to listeria infections.

For pregnant women, listeria infection can be particularly concerning because it can affect the unborn baby even when the mother experiences only mild symptoms. That is why food recalls involving possible Listeria contamination are treated seriously, even when there is no evidence that every product in the affected range is contaminated.

What Should Customers Do?

Anyone who has one of the recalled products should avoid eating it. The safest course of action is to:

• Check the product name, pack size, product code and use-by date.
• Do not eat the product if it matches the recall information.
• Return it to the relevant supermarket for a full refund.
• Do not rely on smell or appearance to determine whether it is safe.
• If you have eaten a recalled product and develop symptoms, seek medical advice, particularly if you are in a higher-risk group.

The FSA says customers do not need a receipt when returning the recalled products.

Why Ready-To-Eat Foods Need Extra Care

Listeria recalls are particularly important for chilled, ready-to-eat foods because consumers generally eat these products without a final cooking step.

Unlike cooking, which can destroy many harmful microorganisms when food reaches a sufficiently high temperature, ready-to-eat products are intended to be consumed as they are. Preventing contamination during manufacturing, handling, packaging, storage and distribution is therefore essential. Listeria can also survive and grow under refrigeration, making proper food-safety controls important throughout the shelf life of chilled products.

The Recall Comes As A Precaution

The current notice concerns possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The FSA has not said that every individual pack of the three products contains the bacteria.

Food recalls are often issued as a precaution when there is a potential safety problem, allowing products to be removed from the market before more people are exposed. In this case, Greencore has initiated the recall and supermarkets are notifying customers through in-store notices.

What Is Listeriosis?

Listeriosis is an infection caused by Listeria bacteria. It is usually linked to eating contaminated food. The infection can be particularly dangerous when it spreads beyond the digestive system. In severe cases, it can cause invasive illness and complications such as meningitis.

The risk is not the same for everyone. A healthy adult may experience only mild illness, while an older person, pregnant woman or someone with a weakened immune system can become seriously ill. That difference explains why food-safety authorities issue strong warnings even when the overall risk to the general population may be relatively low.

No Need To Panic, But Check Your Fridge

The recall does not mean that all pasta salads or all products sold by Asda and Morrisons are unsafe. The warning applies specifically to the three products and use-by dates listed by the FSA.

Consumers who do not have the affected products do not need to throw away other pasta, salads or chilled foods simply because of this recall. The important step is to check whether anything in the refrigerator matches the official recall details. For anyone who has purchased one of the affected products, however, the advice is clear: do not eat it and return it for a refund.

What Happens Next?

Greencore and the supermarkets are removing the affected products from sale while the recall is carried out. The FSA has published the alert to inform consumers and local authorities about the potential contamination. The agency’s recall system is designed to ensure that potentially unsafe food is removed from the supply chain and that customers who may have purchased it are warned.

For consumers, the immediate priority is simple: check the pasta products in your fridge, compare them with the official recall details and avoid eating any affected pack. The recall is a reminder that food safety does not end when a product reaches the supermarket. Careful manufacturing, refrigeration, traceability and rapid recalls all play a role in keeping potentially contaminated food away from consumers.

References:

1. Greencore recalls three pasta products because of possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes – (https://alerts.food.gov.uk/article/6816/Greencore-recalls-three-pasta-products-because-of-possible-contamination-with-Listeria-monocytogenes)

Source-Medindia