Gias Foods recalled every lot of Bettergoods Authentic Italian Lemon Alfredo Fettuccine sold at Walmart after state agriculture labs found Listeria monocytogenes in finished packages, the Food and Drug Administration posted October 1, urging consumers to return the frozen meals for a full refund.
Listeria can cause serious illness in pregnant people, older adults, and anyone with weakened immune systems, and healthy adults may experience fever, headache, stiffness, nausea, and abdominal pain. The company said no illnesses had been reported as of the announcement date.
Which packages are covered
The recalled pasta is sold frozen in 22-ounce yellow plastic bags under the Bettergoods store brand with UPC 194346442706. The recall covers all lot codes because sampling in Washington and Florida detected the bacteria in finished product rather than isolating a single production day.
Gias Foods, based in New York, told regulators it stopped distribution while investigators work with the FDA on a root cause. Walmart’s nationwide store footprint means the recall is not limited to one region; check your freezer even if you shopped while traveling.
What to do with bags at home
Do not taste the pasta to see whether it smells off; Listeria can survive freezing. Return unopened bags to Walmart for a refund or dispose of them in a sealed trash bag so children and pets cannot reach the product. Wash anything that touched the packaging with hot, soapy water, including refrigerator drawers if you stored the bag near other foods.
If you ate the product and develop fever or gastrointestinal symptoms, contact your clinician and mention the recall. Pregnant people should seek care promptly if they have flu-like symptoms after exposure, because Listeria infections can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth even when the parent feels only mildly ill.
Other fall recalls on the FDA docket
The Bettergoods action landed the same week Greenwich Rx recalled compounded glutathione vials over elevated endotoxin levels and Sierra Nevada Cheese Company pulled Graziers raw-milk cheeses amid an E. coli outbreak investigation. None of those products share the Walmart pasta UPC, but they illustrate why FDA’s recall feed is worth bookmarking during holiday meal prep.
Consumers with questions for Gias Foods can email sales@giasfoods.com, according to the company notice. For general food-safety reporting, use the FDA’s online form if a store still has recalled bags on shelves after the announcement.
Restaurant and daycare kitchens
Child-care centers and church kitchens that bought Bettergoods pasta for bulk meals should check freezers against the UPC even if parents never saw the retail packaging. Listeria can grow at refrigerator temperatures, so transferring partially used bags into smaller containers does not eliminate risk if the product was contaminated before freezing.
Keep purchase receipts if you seek reimbursement beyond Walmart’s in-store return desk; credit-card statements with the merchant name help document the transaction date for health investigators.
Symptoms and timing
Listeria incubation can stretch to 70 days, so households that ate the pasta weeks ago should still report illness to local health departments if they develop fever or stiff neck. Clinicians can order blood cultures that distinguish Listeria from more common stomach bugs.
Walmart typically posts recall notices at store entrances and on its corporate recall page; if you shop online for grocery pickup, check your email for automated alerts tied to past Bettergoods purchases.
Cleaning after disposal
Sanitize refrigerator shelves with a solution of one tablespoon unscented bleach per gallon of water if the recalled bag touched other foods. Dry surfaces before restocking. Freezer ice trays made while the product was stored nearby should be emptied and washed for the same reason state labs found contamination in finished packages rather than only on exterior cardboard.
Food banks that accepted retail donations should inventory frozen pasta SKUs immediately and quarantine any Bettergoods lemon alfredo matching the UPC until directors confirm the shipment predates the recall.