Salmonella in raw milk cheese sickens five in Spain

Spanish authorities have expanded a warning about Salmonella in raw milk cheese after several people fell sick.

The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) reported five cases linked to raw milk sheep’s cheese from Spain. There are likely many more sick people than have been confirmed. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that for every confirmed patient, 29 go uncounted.

Officials in Catalonia initially informed AESAN through the Coordinated System for the Rapid Exchange of Information (SCIRI) of the presence of Salmonella Enteritidis in soft cheese made with raw sheep’s milk from the Casa Mateu brand.

The affected 400-gram cheese was distributed in Valencia and Catalonia. Authorities advised people who had the product referred to in the alert not to consume it.

As part of investigations into the outbreak of salmonellosis in Catalonia, another soft cheese made with raw sheep’s milk from the Formatgeria Mas d’Eroles brand has tested positive for Salmonella.

The 400-gram product implicated has the name Trevol on the label. The lot number is 140524, and the best-before date is Dec. 31, 2024.

Relevant information has been sent to local authorities through SCIRI to verify the removal of affected products from the market. The Coordination Centre for Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES), a body of the Spanish Ministry of Health in charge of the national coordination of public health alerts, will be used to report the existence of other possible cases.

Two recent Salmonella outbreaks have also hit Spain. One in Badajoz sickened 25 people, of which five needed hospital treatment. Another in Madrid affected 16 people and was linked to a sauce made using eggs at a burger restaurant.

Listeria investigation
In a separate incident, a meat product was recalled as investigations continued into a case of Listeriosis.

The Ministry of Health and Consumption in Andalucia reported that Listeria monocytogenes had been detected in a meat product distributed in the provinces of Cadiz, Malaga, and Seville by the company Fabrica de Embutidos La Serrana S.L., located in the town of Olvera in Cadiz.

The affected product has “Zurrapa Blanca” on the label with batch 211123 and an expiration date of Nov. 21, 2024.

The one sick person is a 49-year-old man from El Arahal in Seville, who was discharged from hospital on July 26, several days after admission.

An inspection and sampling at the production site have revealed a second affected product. Listeria was found in Iberian salchichón batch 100724, dated May 10, 2025.

The company has suspended certain production operations and is holding some of its inventory while investigations are ongoing. Officials have also asked the firm to supply testing results before sausage production is stopped.

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Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2024/08/salmonella-in-raw-milk-cheese-sickens-five-in-spain/