Salmonella outbreak spreads across Europe

A multi-country outbreak of Salmonella has sickened nearly 50 people with suspicions again falling on sprout seeds from Italy.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the outbreak is affecting at least six European countries and the United Kingdom.

Ireland, Finland and the UK have reported 48 patients infected with genetically closely related bacterial isolates of Salmonella Bovismorbificans from January to April 2026.

All cases are adults and the majority are female. At least five people have been hospitalized.

First report from Finland
Patients have no recorded travel history and outbreak investigations in all three countries point to the consumption of sprouted seeds of different sorts.

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto) previously reported 32 people were sick in Finland. The average age of patients was 45 and the range was 17 to 77 years old. In total, 23 patients were women.

In the UK and Ireland, specific batches of Good4U Super Sprouts Super Greens were recalled because of Salmonella. The affected sprouts come in a 60-gram packs with dates of April 22, 26, 29 and 30 as well as May 3, 2026.

A total of 15 infections have been identified in England and Wales since January 2026.

Amy Douglas, lead epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “We are working closely with public health agencies to investigate an international Salmonella outbreak which has been linked to consumption of sprouted seeds.

“Investigations into the source of the contamination are ongoing, however the risk to the UK public is low given a voluntary recall has been initiated for the affected product. If you have bought the recalled product, please do not eat it. If you have handled the recalled sprouted seeds you should wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water and clean any contaminated kitchen utensils.”

Four other countries have identified 10 cases with closely related isolates of Salmonella Bovismorbificans in the same period and another country reported a slight increase in infections with this Salmonella serotype. Food and travel exposures are not yet available with investigations ongoing.

According to a Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) alert, the suspected sources are alfalfa seeds, clover seeds, broccoli seeds and radish seeds from Italy.

Past problems
A Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG Sante) audit in May and June 2025 in Italy found sprouted seeds being produced by unregistered companies and a lack of enforcement by authorities.

In response to the findings, Italian officials said more detail would be included in regional databases on the activities performed by operators, with specific reference to seed producers. This would help improve the planning of risk-based controls.

From 2023 to 2025, a major outbreak linked to sprouted seeds had 509 confirmed cases in 10 countries. The focus was North Europe with 94 cases in Finland, 110 in Sweden, and 257 in Norway. The incident involved eight Salmonella serotypes but not Salmonella Bovismorbificans.

Epidemiological investigations, including whole genome sequencing and food tracing, pointed to a supplier in Italy which sourced seeds from three growers in the same region.

Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2026/04/salmonella-outbreak-spreads-across-europe/