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Emilia-Romagna has ordered public and private food-service providers at schools, hospitals and care facilities to stop using uncooked cherry tomatoes until further notice. Regional authorities cite Salmonella cases linked to raw tomatoes, while investigations continue into supply chains and product distribution.
Emilia-Romagna has ordered public and private food-service providers at schools, social-care facilities, hospitals and nursing homes to stop serving uncooked cherry tomatoes, citing Salmonella infections linked to raw tomatoes and ongoing investigations. The measure applies until further notice, and authorities say violations could lead to prosecution.
The regional notice covers cherry tomatoes that have not undergone cooking. It applies to food-service providers in both public and private settings across the named institutions. Officials said the restriction was adopted under the precautionary principle to protect public health while investigations continue; the notice does not set an end date.
Regional surveillance recorded 112 Salmonella Strathcona cases and five infections with monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium in Emilia-Romagna between 2024 and 2026. Authorities said cases in several European countries and Italian regions during those years had been linked, through epidemiological, microbiological or genomic evidence, to eating raw cherry and datterini tomatoes.
A national task force convened on September 30, 2026, found that recent outbreaks in Puglia, Lombardy, Lazio and Friuli-Venezia Giulia were linked to fresh tomatoes contaminated with monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium sequence type 34 or Salmonella Strathcona sequence type 2559. Since July 2026, more than 160 infections have been recorded across 10 European countries, according to the source report.
Restrictions Reach Institutional Kitchens
The order affects food service in settings where meals are prepared for children, patients and people receiving care. Suspending uncooked cherry tomatoes removes one identified exposure route at those sites while authorities work to establish how contaminated products entered circulation. The measure is limited to the specified institutions and product; the notice does not describe a general ban on tomatoes for consumers.
The outbreak also spans multiple regions and countries. That makes reliable tracing important for identifying affected suppliers and distribution routes, as well as for deciding whether the restrictions can be lifted or need to change. The immediate practical effect is clear for covered kitchens: cherry tomatoes must not be served uncooked while the order remains in force.
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Evidence Across Regions and Countries
Emilia-Romagna’s order follows a series of reports linking Salmonella infections to raw tomatoes. The regional notice cited outbreak assessments by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Food Safety Authority 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 and distribution sites, including nurseries, schools, healthcare facilities and residential care homes. That measure followed an increase in Salmonella Strathcona infections and the detection of Salmonella in a tomato batch from Caltanissetta, according to the report.
Cases have also been reported outside Italy. Austria has reported 21 confirmed and eight probable Salmonella Strathcona cases in seven federal states. Germany’s Robert Koch Institute said 39 patients had been associated with the outbreak there since June. In late 2025, testing in Austria detected the outbreak strain in organic cherry tomatoes from Italy; the strain had also previously been found in irrigation water at a tomato producer in Sicily.
Supply Routes Still Under Investigation
The source report does not identify a single confirmed supplier or establish that every tomato product, producer or batch is affected. Regional authorities say fresh-tomato traceability is complex, making it difficult to identify the operators involved and determine where products were distributed. Although the notice describes links based on epidemiological, microbiological or genomic evidence, it does not provide a complete account of the specific products associated with each infection.
The number of infections may also change as surveillance and investigations continue. The reported total of more than 160 cases covers 10 European countries since July 2026; it is not a final count. The available information does not state when Emilia-Romagna’s restriction will be reviewed, what criteria will end it, or whether additional products or sites will be covered.
Investigations Will Guide Any Changes
Emilia-Romagna’s order remains in place until further notice. Covered institutions must follow the restriction on uncooked cherry tomatoes; the notice says breaches could be prosecuted. Authorities have not announced a date for lifting or reviewing the measure.
Investigators and the national task force are expected to continue examining infection reports, laboratory evidence and tomato supply chains. Further information about affected operators, product distribution and any changes to regional restrictions will depend on the results of that work. The report does not provide a timetable for new findings.
Key Questions
What has Emilia-Romagna banned?
The regional order bars public and private food-service providers at schools, social-care facilities, hospitals and nursing homes from using cherry tomatoes that have not been cooked. It remains in effect until further notice.
Does the order ban tomatoes for all consumers?
The notice described in the report applies to food-service providers at specified institutions. It does not announce a general ban on tomatoes for consumers or on all tomato products.
How many cases were recorded in Emilia-Romagna?
Regional surveillance identified 112 Salmonella Strathcona cases and five monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium infections between 2024 and 2026. These figures cover that period and region.
How many people have been affected across Europe?
The report says more than 160 infections across 10 European countries have been recorded since July 2026. That figure is a reported count, not a final total.
When will the restriction end?
No end date has been announced. Emilia-Romagna’s notice says the measure applies until further notice while investigations continue.
Source: rss
