Supplement shakes for people in hospitals and nursing homes have been linked to a deadly Listeria outbreak, with 14 deaths and 42 illnesses reported since 2018.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Supplement Shake Listeria cases in all 50 states. If you were diagnosed with Listeria from supplement shakes, contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Food Poisoning Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
UPDATE: Two More Deaths Linked to Supplement Shakes
On May 16, 2025, health officials issued their final Investigation Update to report 2 more deaths in a Listeria outbreak linked to supplement shakes, bringing the total number of deaths to 14 people, with 42 illnesses in 21 states.
This outbreak is over, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and recalls have been announced.
Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial Supplement Shake Recalls
In February 2025, Lyons Magnus announced a voluntary recall for two brands of supplement shakes that were linked to a deadly outbreak of food poisoning with Listeria, including:
The recalled supplement shakes were manufactured by Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. at a facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They were sold in 4-oz. milk cartons, in flavors like strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate.
Supplement Shakes Used in Hospitals, Nursing Homes
Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial Supplement shakes were not sold in stores. Instead, they were distributed to institutions like hospitals, nursing homes, and long-term care facilities nationwide.
What Are Supplement Shakes?
The recalled supplement shakes were given to people on medically-necessary soft diets. They were sold frozen, and then defrosted to a thick liquid milkshake. They were also used as “supplemental nutrition,” with extra calories to help prevent unintended weight-loss.
What Happened?
This is a long-running outbreak, with the first illnesses reported in August 2018, and the most recent illness reported in March 2025.
The CDC said it investigated this outbreak several times since 2018, after multiple outbreaks where people in long-term care facilities were all infected with the same strain of Listeria, but the CDC said it “never had enough information to identify a food source.”
According to the CDC:
“While cases date back to 2018, over half of the people affected by this outbreak got sick in either 2024 or 2025. It is common for Listeria outbreaks to last several years because it is an incredibly hardy germ that can survive on surfaces for long periods of time.”
In 2023, after yet another outbreak infected 6 people at a long-term care facility, the FDA inspected the Prairie Farms facility in Indiana, where environmental swabs tested positive for Listeria.
Further testing confirmed that this strain of Listeria matched the one that made people sick, based on whole genome sequencing tests.
In response, Lyons Magnus recalled supplement shakes that were manufactured at the Prairie Farms Dairy facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, including Sysco Imperial and Lyons ReadyCare Supplement Shakes.
What is Listeria?
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacteria that can survive on frozen or refrigerated foods. It is particularly dangerous for older adults, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and infants.
Listeria infections can be invasive. This means the infection can spread beyond the digestive system to other parts of the body, such as the bloodstream, brain, or spinal cord, and cause life-threatening complications like sepsis or meningitis.
What Are The Symptoms?
The symptoms of a Listeria infection usually start within 2 weeks after eating contaminated food, but may start as soon as the same day, or as late as 10 weeks afterward. The symptoms include:
- Fever
- Muscle aches
- Tiredness
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Confusion
- Loss of balance
- Seizures
Do I Have a Supplement Shake Listeria Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Supplement Shake Listeria cases in all 50 states. If you were diagnosed with Listeria from supplement shakes, contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Food Poisoning Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
