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Emilia-Romagna has ordered public and private foodservice providers in schools, hospitals and care facilities to stop serving uncooked cherry tomatoes until further notice. Regional authorities cited Salmonella cases linked to raw tomatoes and said investigations continue; more than 160 infections have been recorded across 10 European countries since July 2026.
Emilia-Romagna has ordered foodservice providers in schools, hospitals and social care and nursing facilities to stop serving uncooked cherry tomatoes, citing Salmonella infections linked to raw tomatoes and ongoing investigations. The regional measure applies to public and private providers until further notice, and authorities say breaches may lead to prosecution.
The order covers cherry tomatoes that have not undergone cooking at the listed institutions. Emilia-Romagna officials said they acted under the precautionary principle to protect public health while investigations continue. The restriction does not specify an end date; it remains in effect until authorities issue further notice.
Regional surveillance recorded 112 Salmonella Strathcona cases and five infections with monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium in Emilia-Romagna between 2024 and 2026. The regional notice said cases in several European countries and Italian regions during those years have been linked through epidemiological, microbiological or genomic evidence to eating raw cherry and datterini tomatoes. That evidence links cases to the food category, but the notice says tracing particular suppliers and product distribution has been difficult.
A national task force met on Sept. 30, 2026. According to the source report, 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. The report says more than 160 infections across 10 European countries have been recorded since July 2026.
Food Service Faces a Raw Tomato Ban
The restriction affects meals served to people in schools, hospitals and residential care settings, where institutions have to change menus and food-preparation practices while the order remains active. It is a targeted precaution: the measure applies to uncooked cherry tomatoes in named settings, rather than announcing a general consumer ban on all tomatoes.
The wider outbreak matters because illness has been reported across national borders, while fresh produce supply chains can make it hard to trace exactly which operators handled affected products. Emilia-Romagna authorities specifically cited complex traceability as an obstacle to identifying businesses and distribution routes. That uncertainty complicates efforts to pinpoint the source and decide when restrictions can safely be lifted.
Salmonella infection can make people ill, and the order places particular attention on institutions serving children, patients and older people. The source material does not provide symptom totals, severity figures or a breakdown of hospitalizations, so the public-health scale beyond the reported case counts cannot be established from the available information.
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Outbreak Signals Across Europe
The regional order follows a series of investigations and alerts. Emilia-Romagna’s notice referred to two outbreak assessments by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Food Safety Authority, issued in 2024 and 2025, along with notifications on the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed.
Puglia had already suspended serving raw fresh tomatoes at institutional catering preparation centers and distribution points, including nurseries, schools, care homes and hospitals. The source report says that measure followed a rise in Salmonella Strathcona infections and the detection of Salmonella in a tomato batch from Caltanissetta.
Investigations have also identified clues at points in the supply chain. In late 2025, testing in Austria detected an outbreak strain in organic cherry tomatoes from Italy; the strain had previously been found in irrigation water at a tomato producer in Sicily. These findings are part of the reported evidence, but they do not by themselves establish that the same producer or water source caused every infection in the current, multi-country outbreak.
Source and Distribution Still Unclear
Authorities have not identified in the supplied material all operators responsible for the tomatoes linked to cases, or the full distribution routes for potentially affected products. Officials say the fresh tomato supply chain is difficult to trace, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The source report does not state how many of the more than 160 European infections are confirmed versus probable, provide a complete country-by-country case count, or describe illness severity. It also does not establish that every case was caused by the same tomato batch, farm or contamination route. The regional order concerns uncooked cherry tomatoes at specified institutions; the material does not announce a broader recall or a general ban on tomatoes for consumers.
Emilia-Romagna’s restriction remains in force until further notice. Foodservice operators covered by the order must not serve uncooked cherry tomatoes while it is active; the notice says violations could result in prosecution.
National and regional authorities are expected to continue investigating reported infections, comparing microbiological and genomic evidence, and working to trace products and suppliers. The source material gives no date for a decision on lifting the restriction and no schedule for a further public update. Any change will depend on official notices and findings from the continuing investigation.
Key Questions
Where are uncooked cherry tomatoes suspended?
The order applies in Emilia-Romagna to public and private foodservice providers in schools, social care facilities, hospitals and nursing homes.
Does the order ban all tomatoes?
No. The reported measure concerns uncooked cherry tomatoes served at the named institutional sites. The source material does not describe a general consumer ban or a restriction on all tomato varieties.
How many Salmonella cases have been reported?
In Emilia-Romagna, surveillance identified 112 Salmonella Strathcona cases and five monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium infections between 2024 and 2026. The source report also says more than 160 infections were recorded in 10 European countries since July 2026; it does not give a complete breakdown of that total.
Have investigators identified the source?
Not completely, based on the available report. Authorities have linked cases to raw cherry and datterini tomatoes using epidemiological, microbiological or genomic evidence, but say complex supply-chain tracing makes it difficult to identify all operators and distribution details.
How long will the restriction last?
It applies until further notice. Authorities have not provided a date for lifting the measure in the source material.
Source: foodsafetynews.com
