Frozen vegetables grown and processed in Egypt may be linked to a mysterious outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections that occurred in three stages in 2024 and 2025.
The outbreak was first investigated by the CDC in April 2024, but without success, according to information obtained by eFoodAlert from the FDA under a Freedom of Information Act request. The investigation reopened in August 2024 when additional cases appeared on the CDC’s radar screen. Again, the investigation ended without identifying a possible source.
In June 2025, CDC once again reopened the investigation after five additional cases were discovered caused by the same outbreak strain. One of them occurred in December 2024. The remaining four are from January to May 2025.
According to the FDA investigation report, the outbreak numbered 27 cases across 13 states, but the CDC map provided as part of the report shows only 25 cases: Connecticut (1), Florida (2), Illinois (1), Massachusetts (2), Maryland (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), Missouri (1), New Jersey (1), New York (8), and Pennsylvania. (4), Rhode Island (1), Virginia (1).
The age of the victims ranged from less than 1 year to 97 years, with a mean age of 72 years. Of the victims, 25 were hospitalized and one died. Two of the affected patients were pregnant women.
Because CDC was unable to provide strong epidemiological evidence for a possible cause, the FDA did not conduct a formal follow-up investigation into this outbreak. However, the agency conducted a ‘limited distribution analysis’ on two of these cases.
Although many details about the alleged source were redacted in the investigative report, FOIA officials left ample breadcrumbs for eFoodAlert to follow.
The FDA collected records and samples from suppliers of the suspected food products and reported a positive sample that may be linked to the clinical outbreak on August 20, 2025. Eight days later, the CDC advised the FDA that samples collected from one of its suppliers (name redacted from investigation report provided to eFoodAlert) were genetically consistent with the outbreak strain. Samples collected from another (unidentified) manufacturer did not match the outbreak strain.
On September 2, 2025, Endico Potatoes Inc., Mount Vernon, New York, recalled two lots of frozen vegetables due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. This recall includes one lot each of ‘frozen peas and carrots’ and ‘mixed vegetables.’ The executive report states that the vegetables were imported from Egypt.
In June 2024, FDA conducted a comprehensive inspection of Endico potatoes (Inspection ID #1232874) in connection with the Foreign Supplier Verification Program. The inspection found no significant deviations or inconsistencies and the results were classified as “no action indicated.”
The frozen vegetables subject to this recall were manufactured after the last confirmed case of an outbreak, and the recall notice states that no illnesses have been reported. Nonetheless, on September 30, 2025, manufacturers of frozen vegetables were added to FDA’s Import Alert 99-23, Detention of Produce Without Physical Inspection Due to Contamination with Human Pathogens.
The manufacturer and supplier of the recalled vegetables was the International Company For Agricultural Production & Process (ICAPP), headquartered in Cairo with production facilities in Ramadan City, Ash Sharqiyah, Egypt. The import alert included both the headquarters location and the production plant site.
On October 22, 2025, the FDA added another supplier to Import Alert 99-23. This supplier, whose samples tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes but did not match the outbreak strain, was identified in the import alert as Warminskie Zaklady Przetworstwa Owocowo – Warzywnego sp. oo, Pomorskie, Poland.
duty to inform
This is not the first time frozen vegetables have been linked to an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes. In 2016, nine people became infected as a result of eating frozen vegetables produced by CRF Frozen Foods in Pasco, Washington. One Connecticut resident died from the infection, and two other outbreak victims also died from other causes.
Separate outbreaks between 2015 and 2018 caused at least 47 illnesses and nine deaths in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The outbreak was traced to a mixture of frozen corn and frozen vegetables at a Hungarian freezing plant.
The authors of the FDA investigation report acknowledged that frozen vegetables are a “clear vector” for Listeria monocytogenes, that the suspect products have an extended shelf life, and that contaminated products may still be in consumers’ homes.
The smoking gun (finding the outbreak strain in frozen vegetable samples) alone wasn’t enough for the FDA and CDC to draw a firm conclusion in this case. Instead, they identified the frozen vegetables as “suspicious vehicles” and withheld this information from the public.
Despite knowing that consumers could still be exposed to contaminated products, and despite the fact that frozen vegetables may have been the cause of more than two dozen Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks, including one death, the FDA and CDC have remained silent.
The FDA may have issued an advisory at the time to warn consumers of the risks. This can be done without revealing the name of the importer or manufacturer.
The FDA should have warned the public about this risk by reminding consumers that frozen vegetables are not ready-to-eat products and must be thoroughly cooked before consumption.
The redacted FDA investigation report is an excellent example of editorial overreach.
FOIA officials redacted information about the number and geographic distribution of cases, even though that information was readily available on the CDC outbreak map included in the same report.
Other information that has been redacted despite the information being made public includes the identity of the company added to Import Alert 99-23, details of the 2016 Listeria monocytogenes outbreak in the United States, and details of the 2015-2018 outbreaks in several European countries.
Of course, proprietary information (such as product formulations and supply chain information) must be removed. However, there is absolutely no justification for editing information that is readily available to the public from other published sources.
Below is a link to the full, redacted FDA investigation report provided to eFoodAlert pursuant to a FOIA request.
