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Emilia-Romagna has ordered public and private food-service providers at schools, hospitals and care facilities to stop serving uncooked cherry tomatoes until further notice. The order follows regional and international Salmonella cases linked by epidemiological, microbiological or genomic evidence to raw cherry and datterini tomatoes; authorities say supply-chain tracing remains difficult.
Emilia-Romagna has suspended uncooked cherry tomatoes in food service at schools, hospitals, nursing homes and social-care facilities as Italian authorities investigate Salmonella infections linked to raw tomatoes. The order applies to public and private providers and will remain in force until further notice, according to a notice from regional authorities.
The regional notice bars providers in the listed settings from using cherry tomatoes that have not been cooked. Authorities said they acted under the precautionary principle to protect public health while investigations continue. Providers that breach the order could face prosecution, the notice said.
Regional surveillance recorded 112 Salmonella Strathcona cases and five infections caused by monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium in Emilia-Romagna between 2024 and 2026. The wider European investigations have linked cases in several countries and Italian regions to consumption of raw cherry and datterini tomatoes through epidemiological, microbiological or genomic evidence, echoing a wider European Salmonella outbreak.
A national task force met on Sept. 30, 2026. Experts linked recent outbreaks in Puglia, Lombardy, Lazio and Friuli-Venezia Giulia to fresh tomatoes contaminated with monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium sequence type 34 or Salmonella Strathcona sequence type 2559, according to the source report. Since July, more than 160 infections have been recorded in 10 European countries, in another cross-border Salmonella investigation.
The order affects meals served to people who may be more vulnerable to serious illness, including children, hospital patients and residents of care homes. It also requires institutional kitchens and their suppliers to change how tomatoes are handled or served while the restriction remains in place.
The measure is limited: it concerns uncooked cherry tomatoes at specified food-service sites, not a reported nationwide ban on tomatoes or a general instruction to consumers to avoid all fresh produce. Cooking is outside the suspended use described in the notice, but the source does not provide detailed preparation guidance or a list of approved products.
For food businesses, the investigation also highlights a practical problem: fresh produce can pass through complex supply chains before reaching kitchens. Emilia-Romagna officials said tracing tomato suppliers and the distribution of affected products is difficult, which may complicate efforts to identify sources and determine where additional controls are needed.
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Outbreak Links Across Europe
Salmonella is a group of bacteria that can cause salmonellosis. In the cases described by the report, investigators have focused on two types: Salmonella Strathcona and monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium. The source material does not give a full symptom profile or individual case outcomes.
Food safety assessments by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Food Safety Authority in 2024 and 2025, as well as notifications through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, were cited in the regional notice. The report says cases linked to tomatoes have been detected in multiple European countries and Italian regions during 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Other Italian authorities have taken similar steps. Puglia had already suspended raw fresh tomatoes in institutional catering settings after a rise in Salmonella Strathcona infections and the detection of Salmonella in a tomato batch from Caltanissetta. The report also says the outbreak strain was detected in organic Italian cherry tomatoes in Austria in late 2025 and had previously been found in irrigation water at a tomato producer in Sicily.
Source and Distribution Still Under Review
The regional notice does not identify a single confirmed producer or supplier responsible for the cases, and it does not specify which tomato batches or brands are affected. Officials said traceability is difficult; the restriction is precautionary while investigations continue.
The source report also does not clarify how long the order will remain in place, what evidence authorities will require before lifting it, or whether other regions will adopt the same restriction. The reported links between infections and raw tomatoes draw on epidemiological, microbiological or genomic evidence, but the available material does not assign every case to a particular product or exposure.
Figures from different countries and periods describe separate outbreak reporting and should not be treated as a complete, final total. Further case updates, source tracing and official notices may change the picture.
Investigators Trace Tomato Supply
Regional and national authorities are expected to continue investigating cases and tracing fresh tomato supply chains. Food-service providers covered by the Emilia-Romagna order must keep uncooked cherry tomatoes off menus until the measure is changed or withdrawn; the notice says it applies until further notice and warns of possible prosecution for violations.
Further updates from Italian authorities and European food-safety monitoring may clarify the suspected sources, distribution routes and whether the restrictions will be adjusted. No timetable for lifting the order is provided in the source material.
Key Questions
What has Emilia-Romagna suspended?
The region has ordered public and private food-service providers at schools, social-care facilities, hospitals and nursing homes to stop using uncooked cherry tomatoes until further notice.
Does the order apply to all tomatoes or all consumers?
The reported order concerns uncooked cherry tomatoes in the specified institutional food-service settings. The source does not describe it as a general consumer warning or a ban on all tomatoes.
Which Salmonella types are involved?
The report describes cases involving Salmonella Strathcona and monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium. Investigators linked cases to raw cherry and datterini tomatoes using epidemiological, microbiological or genomic evidence.
How many cases have been reported?
Emilia-Romagna surveillance recorded 112 Salmonella Strathcona cases and five monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium infections between 2024 and 2026. The report says more than 160 infections were recorded across 10 European countries since July 2026; these figures cover different populations and reporting periods.
When will the restriction end?
The regional notice says the measure remains in force until further notice. The source provides no end date or criteria for lifting it.
Source: foodsafetynews.com
