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A potentially deadly salmonella outbreak has been linked to tomatoes, health and safety watchdogs have warned.
The outbreak caused more than 100 people to get sick and at least 14 to be hospitalised with the diarrhoea-causing bug in 2024.
Food safety chiefs believe the outbreak was caused by multiple foods including eggs, red meat products and tomatoes.
The cases caused by the salad staple were not confined to a certain area of the UK, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). As a result, it is unknown whether they were grown in the UK or imported from another country.
Seven outbreaks of Salmonella were reported to national surveillance in 2024, comprising 304 cases of which 280 cases were confirmed in a lab.
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A Salmonella outbreak has been linked to tomatoes (Getty/iStock)
Testing revealed all cases were caused by salmonella strains Blockley and Strathcona – which can cause diarrhoea, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea, and vomiting.
But health and safety watchdogs have warned the strain Salmonella Strathcona can cause particularly severe illness.
However, Salmonella Blockley – which is usually found in East Asia and the US – has only been recorded a handful of times across Europe, making this spike in the UK alarming.
Salmonella is one of the most common causes of food poisoning. It takes 12 to 72 hours for the symptoms to develop after swallowing a contaminated product.
While most people suffer with vomiting and diarrhoea those with weakened immune systems such as children and the elderly are most at risk of suffering with severe illness.
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The outbreak caused more than 100 people to get sick and at least 14 to be hospitalised with the diarrhoea-causing bug in 2024 (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention/PA) (PA Media)
In some cases, those that become seriously ill need hospital care because dehydration caused by the illness can be life-threatening.
UKHSA data for 2024, revealed there were 81 cases of Salmonella Blockley confirmed by lab testing – of these 14 were hospitalised.
The Salmonella Strathcona outbreak, also caused by tomatoes, affected 24 people.
These infections are typically contracted through the consumption of contaminated food, such as undercooked poultry, meat, eggs, or unwashed raw fruit and vegetables. Unpasteurised milk and cheese also pose a risk.
Water supplies used to grow the tomatoes can cause salmonella contamination and can even persist in the soil and continue to contaminate them as they grow.
A separate Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to red meat caused 109 cases. There were also 24 cases of Salmonella Enteritidis linked to eggs.
UKHSA figures released last month showed salmonella cases hit a record decade high in 2024 reaching more than 10,000 cases. Data showed a 17.1 per cent increase, from 8,872 cases in 2023 to 10,388 in 2024.