Authorities in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, have banned the use of uncooked cherry tomatoes in schools, social care facilities, hospitals, and nursing homes to combat a Salmonella outbreak linked to raw tomatoes. Since July 2026, over 160 infections across 10 European countries have been connected to contaminated cherry and datterini tomatoes.
The Emilia-Romagna region issued a notice prohibiting private and public foodservice providers from using raw cherry tomatoes, applying a precautionary principle to safeguard public health while investigations continue. Breach of the ban may result in prosecution.
Between 2024 and 2026, 112 Salmonella Strathcona infections and five monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium cases were recorded in Emilia-Romagna. These infections have been epidemiologically and genomically linked to consumption of raw cherry and datterini tomatoes in several Italian regions and across Europe.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assessments in 2024 and 2025, along with RASFF system alerts, have supported the link. Complex traceability of fresh tomato supply chains complicates pinpointing sources and distribution.
At a national level, a task force found outbreaks in multiple Italian regions connected to contaminated fresh tomatoes. Puglia had earlier suspended raw tomato servings in institutional kitchens following increased Salmonella infections and findings in tomato batches.
Since July 2026, over 160 Salmonella infections related to this outbreak strain have been reported in Austria, Germany, Denmark, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. Testing has detected the outbreak strain in Italian organic cherry tomatoes and irrigation water of a Sicilian producer.
Source: Tomato use suspended as Italy tackles Salmonella outbreak · 2026-10-26 04:05 UTC
Prepared with AI assistance from the linked source. For affected products, lot codes and the latest instructions, consult the original notice.
