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Popular Tamale Maker Recalls Products Over Listeria Risk: FDA
A Listeria risk prompts recall of popular tamales made in Sonoma and sold in California and Nevada.
BAY AREA, CA — A Sonoma-based company has issued a voluntary recall for several varieties of tamales due to potential Listeria contamination. The tamales — packaged with bright labels and a sunshine icon in the left-hand corner — were sold at Whole Foods stores in California and Nevada.
Primavera Nueva Inc. is voluntarily recalling nearly a dozen of its 4-count packages of tamales produced from Oct. 10, 2024 to Oct. 10, 2025 due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms, including high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, the organism can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The organism can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women, regulators said.
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The products were made with a frozen ingredient labeled “Not Ready to Eat. Must Be Thoroughly Cooked Before Eating.”
An Oct. 10 FDA inspection found that earlier production records did not consistently verify internal cooking temperatures needed to control potential biological hazards, including Listeria monocytogenes. Without knowing the proper temperatures, consumers could undercook the tamales.
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The FDA expanded the recall to 11 in January to include:
- Roasted Green Chile & Jack Cheese
- Black Bean Bonanza & Jack Cheese
- Butternut Squash w/ Roasted Green Chiles & Cheese
- BBQ Chipotle Bean & White Cheddar
- Mushroom Spinach & Salsa with Two Cheeses
- Roasted Green Chile
- Black Bean Bonanza
- Butternut Squash w/ Roasted Green Chiles
- Mushroom Spinach & Salsa
- Roasted Pumpkin & White Cheddar
"Primavera Nueva has fully corrected the issue—enhanced cooking-temperature monitoring and verification have been in place since October 11, 2025," according to an announcement posted to the FDA website.
No other Primavera Nueva products were included in the recall.
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