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More than 160 people in 10 European countries were reported ill in 2026 in a recurring Salmonella Strathcona outbreak, with most case dates falling from July to September. Investigators have identified cherry tomato consumption among some patients, but the outbreak’s root cause and the source of this season’s infections have not been established.
Health authorities have reported more than 160 people ill in a recurring Salmonella Strathcona outbreak across 10 European countries, with most reported case dates falling between July and September 2026, similar to other Salmonella outbreak reports. Sequencing is pending for another 100 suspected cases, and investigators have not confirmed the source of this season’s infections, as investigators also worked to determine the source of a Salmonella outbreak traced to backyard flocks.
The countries reporting illnesses are Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The reported cases have onset or sample dates mainly in the third quarter of 2026. Some patients in several countries either live in Italy or had travelled there before becoming ill, a pattern that authorities say may point to a shared exposure; domestic cases have also been reported.
Germany’s Robert Koch Institute said the country had recorded 39 outbreak-associated cases since June 2026. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said more than 800 confirmed infections have been recorded from January 2023 through September 2026. That cumulative total includes 73 cases in the United Kingdom, 10 in Canada and 24 in the United States. At least seven Canadian and six U.S. patients had travelled to Europe before falling ill.
Tomatoes are under investigation, but the available findings do not establish them as the source of the current wave, as has been the case in other Salmonella outbreak investigations. A small number of patient interviews in Germany and Luxembourg found that patients had eaten cherry tomatoes; Italy also reported tomato consumption among cases. In Puglia, officials temporarily suspended the use and serving of raw fresh tomatoes at institutional food-preparation and catering sites after a rise in infections and detection of Salmonella in a tomato batch from Caltanissetta.
A Seasonal Risk Across Borders
The recurrence matters because the outbreak has affected countries both within and outside the European Union, while travel histories and case patterns suggest that exposure may cross national borders. The ECDC has said the repeated summer peak points to ongoing transmission and distribution of contaminated produce in and beyond Italy. That is an assessment of the pattern, not confirmation that a particular shipment or producer caused every infection.
For consumers and institutions, the public health concern is that fresh produce is often eaten raw, leaving no cooking step to kill bacteria if contamination is present. Puglia’s temporary measure applies to institutional catering settings including nurseries, schools, social-care and healthcare facilities, residential care homes and hospitals. It does not amount to a Europe-wide ban on tomatoes, and the source report does not describe a broader consumer recall.
The reported totals also span different periods and locations. The more than 160 illnesses in 2026 are part of a longer outbreak record of more than 800 confirmed infections since January 2023. Those figures describe reported cases, not the full number of infections that may have occurred.
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Earlier Tomato Findings and Recurrence
Salmonella Strathcona has appeared in recurring seasonal clusters, with case numbers typically peaking from July through September. The ECDC says this recurring pattern indicates the possibility of continued transmission linked to contaminated produce, but investigators have not identified the root cause or implemented controls that have prevented subsequent seasonal cases.
Earlier investigations provide relevant evidence about tomatoes, though they do not by themselves prove the source of the 2026 illnesses. In 2025, Austrian investigations identified small tomatoes traded from Sicily as the source in that outbreak; the report says this echoed findings in Austria in 2023 and Italian work in 2024. In November 2024, official sampling at an Italian primary producer detected the outbreak strain in irrigation water from a well. Follow-up Austrian investigations in 2025 also found the strain in cherry tomatoes from Italy.
The report describes a separate 2025–2026 Salmonella Strathcona outbreak involving 116 people. This history helps explain why tomatoes and agricultural water are being scrutinized again, but each season’s cases still require investigation and evidence linking them to a specific source.
“The risk for new infections remains as long as the seasonal delivery of contaminated produce continues.”
— European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
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The 2026 Source Is Unconfirmed
Investigators have not confirmed whether tomatoes caused the current season’s infections, which producer or supply chain may be involved, or whether all reported cases share one source. Patient reports of eating cherry tomatoes are clues, not proof of where or when contamination occurred. The detection in a batch from Caltanissetta prompted action in Puglia, but the source material does not establish that batch as the cause of the outbreak across Europe.
Sequencing remains pending for 100 additional cases, so it is not yet clear how many will be linked to the outbreak strain. The report also does not provide a final case count for the season, details on severity or hospitalizations, or results of a completed investigation into the 2026 supply chain. The geographical spread and travel histories support a possible common exposure, while domestic cases and incomplete laboratory results leave the transmission picture open.
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Sequencing and Source Tracing
Public health agencies are expected to continue comparing laboratory results and patient histories as sequencing results become available. Those results can help determine whether suspected cases belong to the same outbreak, while interviews and supply-chain checks may help trace foods patients had in common.
Authorities in Italy and other affected countries will also need to follow up on tomato and irrigation-water findings and assess whether control measures address the contamination source. The ECDC’s stated concern is that similar seasonal outbreaks may recur if the root cause remains unidentified. The available report does not give a timetable for completing the investigations or lifting Puglia’s temporary restriction on raw tomatoes in institutional catering.
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Key Questions
How many people have been reported ill in the 2026 outbreak?
More than 160 people across 10 European countries were reported ill, with most case onset or sample dates between July and September 2026. Sequencing is pending for another 100 cases.
Have investigators confirmed that tomatoes caused the outbreak?
No. Some patients reported eating cherry tomatoes, and earlier investigations found the outbreak strain in tomatoes and irrigation water. Those findings do not confirm the source of the 2026 cases.
Which countries reported cases?
The 2026 reports came from Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The longer outbreak record also includes cases reported in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.
Why did Puglia restrict raw tomatoes in institutional catering?
Authorities in Puglia temporarily suspended the use and serving of raw fresh tomatoes at institutional food-preparation and distribution sites after a rise in Salmonella infections and the detection of Salmonella in a tomato batch from Caltanissetta. The report does not say that this batch caused infections across Europe.
Could the outbreak return in a future summer?
The ECDC says future outbreaks are likely if contaminated produce continues to be delivered and the root cause is not identified and controlled. That is the agency’s risk assessment, not a confirmation that another outbreak will occur.
Source: rss
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