TL;DR
Austrian authorities have advised people not to eat raw cherry tomatoes from Ragusa and Caltanissetta in Sicily, citing a link to recurring Salmonella outbreaks. Austria has reported 21 confirmed and eight probable cases of Salmonella Strathcona; more than 160 confirmed infections have been recorded across 10 European countries since July 2026.
Austrian health and food-safety authorities have warned people not to eat raw cherry tomatoes from Ragusa and Caltanissetta, two areas in Sicily, following recurring infections with Salmonella Strathcona. Austria has reported 21 confirmed and eight probable cases across seven federal states, and officials say early patient interviews point to travel in Italy and tomato consumption.
The warning was issued by the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) and the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (BMASGPK). Their advice applies specifically to raw cherry tomatoes from the named Sicilian areas. If the tomatoes are used, officials said they should be thoroughly heated before consumption. The available report does not identify particular brands, retailers, or individual batches covered by the warning.
Of Austria’s reported cases, 28 people became ill from late July, while one person was sick during the winter. Seven patients required hospitalization. The median age is 36, with ages ranging from 10 months to 79 years; 17 patients are male and 12 female. Authorities say six cases were likely acquired abroad: five patients had traveled to Italy and one to Croatia before becoming ill.
The concern extends beyond Austria. Since July 2026, more than 160 confirmed infections in 10 European countries have been recorded, and sequencing results are pending for another 100 patients. The report says Italian authorities found monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Strathcona in cherry tomatoes earlier this month, alongside reports of 117 salmonellosis cases in Brescia and 15 in Bergamo. Those figures do not, on their own, establish that every illness was caused by the tomatoes named in Austria’s warning.
A Cross-Border Produce Risk
The warning matters because cherry tomatoes are commonly eaten raw, so the usual step of cooking food before eating it may not happen. Austria’s advice gives consumers a direct precaution: avoid eating raw tomatoes from the specified areas, and heat them thoroughly if they are used. The warning is limited to cherry tomatoes from Ragusa and Caltanissetta; the source does not say that all tomatoes from Italy, or all tomatoes sold in Austria, are affected.
The wider outbreak figures suggest a public-health issue that crosses national borders and food distribution systems. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has said the recurrence of cases indicates continuing transmission and distribution of contaminated produce in Italy and beyond. That assessment is a warning about the pattern, not a confirmed account of the route by which each patient was infected.
For people who are ill, particularly those who may be more vulnerable to infection, Salmonella can lead to symptoms serious enough to require medical care. Seven people in Austria have been hospitalized, according to the report. The figures underline why an advisory about a specific produce source can be relevant even while authorities are still investigating the precise contamination pathway.
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Evidence From Earlier Seasons
Authorities are investigating a recurring seasonal pattern. Between 2023 and 2026, 800 people in 17 European countries became ill, including 133 in Austria, according to the source report. Cases have occurred mostly from late summer through December. Genetic links between cases, seasonal timing, patient interviews, and food investigations support the hypothesis that multiple outbreaks may share a contamination source; the underlying source has not been definitively established in the supplied material.
There have been earlier findings connected to Italian tomatoes. In late 2025, AGES detected the outbreak strain in organic cherry tomatoes from Italy, and the strain was also found in irrigation water at a tomato producer in Sicily. In October 2026, Slovenia’s food-safety authority was informed that Italian cherry tomatoes had been delivered to catering companies between Sept. 7 and 9. Checks found the stocks had been used, but they were not available to consumers through retailers. Slovenia reported no tomato-linked outbreaks since Sept. 7.
Other authorities have also taken precautions. In Puglia, officials suspended the serving of raw fresh tomatoes at institutional catering preparation and distribution sites, including nurseries, schools, social-care and healthcare facilities, residential homes, and hospitals. The measure followed a rise in Salmonella Strathcona infections and detection of Salmonella in a tomato batch from Caltanissetta. In Germany, the Robert Koch Institute recently reported 39 patients associated with an outbreak since June 2026; Germany had recorded 116 cases in the 2025–2026 season.
“If cherry tomatoes from these regions must be used, they should be thoroughly heated before consumption.”
— Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety and the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection
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The Contamination Source Is Unresolved
It is not yet clear exactly where or how the tomatoes became contaminated, which shipments or batches are affected, or how widely they were distributed. The warning names two areas of Sicily but the source report provides no product identifiers, brand names, or consumer-facing recall details. It also does not say whether the advisory applies to tomatoes that have already been cooked.
Investigators have not established that tomato exposure caused every reported infection. Patient interviews point to travel and tomato consumption, and genetic and food-investigation findings support a common-source hypothesis, but those lines of evidence do not confirm a specific route for every case. Sequencing is still pending for about 100 patients, which could clarify how closely their infections are related.
The report does not provide a final total for the current European outbreak or a confirmed end date for the warning. ECDC’s comments describe ongoing risk while seasonal deliveries continue; they do not identify a single producer or confirm that all products from either region are contaminated.
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Further Testing and Public Advice
Health and food-safety authorities are expected to continue tracing tomato supplies and investigating the reported infections. Pending genetic sequencing may help determine whether additional patients are part of the same outbreak cluster. The source report does not specify a date for results or a timetable for lifting Austria’s warning.
Consumers should follow the current Austrian advice: do not eat raw cherry tomatoes from Ragusa or Caltanissetta, and thoroughly heat them if they are used. Any new information about affected batches, distribution, or changes to the advisory would need to come from the relevant authorities. The investigation will also need to identify the contamination source and put controls in place to reduce the risk in later seasons.
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Key Questions
Which tomatoes are covered by Austria’s warning?
The warning applies to raw cherry tomatoes from Ragusa and Caltanissetta in Sicily. The report does not name brands, retailers, or specific batches.
Can the tomatoes be eaten if they are cooked?
Austrian authorities say that if cherry tomatoes from the named areas are used, they should be thoroughly heated before consumption. Their warning is specifically against eating them raw.
How many Salmonella cases have been reported in Austria?
Austria has reported 21 confirmed and eight probable Salmonella Strathcona cases across seven federal states. Seven people required hospitalization.
No. Interviews, genetic findings, and food investigations support a possible common source, but the report does not establish that tomato exposure caused every case. Sequencing results for about 100 additional patients are pending.
Is the warning part of a wider European outbreak?
More than 160 confirmed infections across 10 European countries have been recorded since July 2026. ECDC has warned that cases may continue while seasonal deliveries of contaminated produce persist, but the exact source and distribution remain under investigation.
Source: rss
