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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 while Salmonella investigations continue. The regional notice cites infections linked by epidemiological, microbiological or genomic evidence to raw cherry and datterini tomatoes; officials say complex supply chains have made it difficult to trace products and operators. More than 160 infections have been recorded in 10 European countries since July 2026, according to the report.
Emilia-Romagna has ordered public and private food-service providers at schools, social-care facilities, hospitals and nursing homes to stop using uncooked cherry tomatoes while authorities investigate Salmonella infections linked to raw tomatoes. The regional measure is precautionary, applies until further notice and carries the possibility of prosecution for breaches, according to the notice described by Food Safety News.
The order covers cherry tomatoes that have not undergone cooking and applies to the listed institutions across the northern Italian region. Officials said it was taken under the precautionary principle to protect public health while investigations continue. The notice does not describe a blanket ban on tomatoes for all consumers or all food businesses.
Regional surveillance identified 112 Salmonella Strathcona cases and five infections caused by monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium in Emilia-Romagna between 2024 and 2026. The report says cases in several European countries and Italian regions during that period have been linked, through epidemiological, microbiological or genomic evidence, to consumption of raw cherry and datterini tomatoes.
A national task force convened on Sept. 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, according to the source report. Since July 2026, more than 160 infections across 10 European countries have been recorded. The report also cites cases in Austria, Germany, Denmark, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
Why Institutions Are Restricting Raw Tomatoes
The restriction focuses on settings that serve children, older people and patients, including schools and healthcare facilities. Suspending an uncooked ingredient in these locations is intended to reduce exposure while investigators work to establish how contaminated tomatoes entered the supply chain. The order does not establish that every tomato product or every source of fresh tomatoes is contaminated.
The outbreak also has a cross-border dimension. Cases have been reported in 10 European countries, and the source report describes several Salmonella types and sequence types associated with the investigations. Authorities face the challenge of tracing a fresh product that may pass through multiple suppliers and distribution points before it reaches a kitchen.
For institutions covered by the order, the immediate effect is operational: menus and food preparation must comply until the measure is lifted or changed. For the public, the report does not announce a general consumer restriction. Readers should distinguish the regional instruction for specified food-service providers from a broader warning that has not been described in the supplied material.
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Earlier Italian Tomato Restrictions
The Emilia-Romagna order follows action in Puglia, where authorities had already suspended the serving of raw fresh tomatoes at food-preparation centres and distribution points for institutional catering. That measure covered nurseries, schools, social-care and healthcare facilities, residential care homes and hospitals. According to the report, it followed an increase in Salmonella Strathcona infections and the detection of Salmonella in a tomato batch from Caltanissetta.
The regional notice referenced 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 Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed. The source also reports that testing in Austria in late 2025 detected an outbreak strain in organic cherry tomatoes from Italy, and that the strain had previously been found in irrigation water at a tomato producer in Sicily. Those findings are part of the reported history; the material does not establish that they identify the source of every current case.
Emilia-Romagna officials said the complex traceability of fresh tomato supply chains makes it difficult to identify all operators involved and determine product distribution. That challenge helps explain why the region has adopted a temporary restriction while investigations proceed rather than announcing a confirmed source for its cases.
Source and Distribution Still Unclear
The supplied report does not identify a single confirmed source for all infections, specify which tomato operators or lots are implicated in the current investigations, or provide a product recall covering the market. It says that links to raw cherry and datterini tomatoes are supported by epidemiological, microbiological or genomic evidence, but also reports that tracing the fresh supply chain is difficult. The exact route by which products reached affected locations remains unclear.
The number of cases may also change as surveillance continues. The report provides regional totals for Emilia-Romagna across 2024–2026 and a Europe-wide count since July 2026, but it does not give a complete breakdown by date, location or tomato product for every country. It is also not clear when Emilia-Romagna will review or lift its order, or whether additional regions will adopt similar restrictions.
Investigations and Order Review
Authorities are expected to continue investigating cases, comparing microbiological and genomic findings, and tracing tomato supply routes. The regional order remains in force until further notice; covered providers must avoid serving uncooked cherry tomatoes unless authorities change the instruction. The notice says breaches could lead to prosecution.
Further updates may clarify which suppliers or products are implicated, whether investigators identify a common source, and whether the restriction is extended, narrowed or withdrawn. The supplied report does not give a date for the next official update or describe a scheduled review. Until authorities provide more information, the confirmed position is limited to the regional food-service order and the ongoing investigations.
Key Questions
Where does the tomato suspension apply?
The Emilia-Romagna order applies to public and private food-service providers in schools, social-care facilities, hospitals and nursing homes. It covers cherry tomatoes that have not been cooked.
Does the order ban all tomatoes for consumers?
The report describes a restriction on uncooked cherry tomatoes in specified institutional food-service settings. It does not report a general consumer ban or a restriction on all tomato products.
How many cases have been reported?
Emilia-Romagna surveillance identified 112 Salmonella Strathcona cases and five monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium infections between 2024 and 2026. Separately, more than 160 infections were recorded across 10 European countries since July 2026, according to the source report.
Have authorities identified the contaminated supplier?
The supplied report does not identify one confirmed supplier responsible for all cases. Emilia-Romagna officials said the complexity of fresh tomato supply chains makes it difficult to identify operators and distribution details.
How long will the restriction last?
The order applies until further notice. The report does not provide an end date or a scheduled review date.
Source: rss
