Frozen shakes sold to nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions were recalled after the drinks were bound to years of fatal Listeria outbreak, said the food and drug administration on Friday.
Since 2018, at least 11 people have died of the outbreak and dozens have been admitted to the hospital, the FDA said, but previous investigations could not have found a source of the bacteria.
In 37 of the 38 known cases, patients were admitted to the hospital; 34 of the infected were in long -term care institutions or were admitted to the hospital before they fell ill with Listeria.
Cases were reported in 21 states, including California, Florida and New York. There have been 20 cases since January 2024 and the outbreak is underway, the FDA said.
The FDA said on Friday that the outbreak was linked to Lyons Readycare and Sysco Imperial Frozen Shakes, which are made to supplement meals. They come in four ounce boxes and in flavors such as vanilla, strawberry and chocolate.
The FDA said that on November 25 it had been informed of an outbreak of Listeria and had started a study that found a connection with the frozen shakes after an evaluation of records at facilities where people who had contracted the infection had lived.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have collaborated with the FDA to investigate the outbreak.
Lyon's Magnus, the food service company that distributes the drinks, said on Saturday in a press release that it remembered the shakes because they could be infected with the bacteria, Listeria Monocytogenes.
The company said that the drinks were usually sold to long -term healthcare institutions and were not available for the sale of the retail trade.
Most people who get sick of food polluted by Listeria show symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, vomiting and muscle pain for a few days, or no symptoms at all.
Some groups, including people aged 65 and older, who are pregnant or who have a weakened immune system, run a higher risk of a serious infection. Symptoms can appear on the same day that a person eats infected food or already 10 weeks later, according to the FDA
The drinks were made by Prairie Farms Dairy in a facility in Fort Wayne, Ind., Lyon's Magnus said. Prairie Farms did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
SYSCO, a food distribution company, said on Friday in a press release that it had recalled the Shakes and stopped purchasing other products that were delivered by Lyons Magnus from the facility in Fort Wayne.
“SYSCO expresses our most sincere condolences with those affected by this outbreak and their families,” the company said in a statement.
