Listeria outbreak linked to pre-cooked pasta: Here's what to know

More precooked pasta meals have been recalled because of possible links to a sprawling listeria outbreak that has led to four deaths.

More precooked pasta meals have been recalled because of possible links to a sprawling listeria outbreak that has led to four deaths.

The outbreak, which was announced in June, has led to a wave of recalls of ready-to-eat pasta meals that use pasta from food supplier Nate’s Fine Foods, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Some of the meals were distributed by FreshRealm, a food service company. Others were sold at major supermarket chains.

Kroger recalls prepared pasta salads over listeria risk00:33Complicating matters, the Agriculture Department said Monday that two other FreshRealm meals contained spinach that was possibly contaminated with listeria — but those meals had no ties to the ongoing outbreak.

Twenty cases of listeria have been reported in 15 states, and 19 people have been hospitalized, according to the FDA. There have been four deaths and one fetal loss, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cases have been reported in 14 states: California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.