16-07-2025
Tomatoes linked to outbreak of 'deadly' bacteria usually found in uncooked meat and eggs
A new report from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has found that a potentially deadly bacteria was transmitted through tomatoes and other common grocery products
Tomatoes have been linked to an outbreak of a potentially deadly disease usually found only in uncooked meat and eggs, the UK's top health body has found.
The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) found in a new report published this month that the red fruit, a staple millions of Brits' meals, was responsible for more than 100 Salmonella infections. Two different types of the bacteria, which is usually found in uncooked chicken and raw eggs, have been linked to a nationwide outbreak. New records issued by the UKHSA show the Blockley and Strathcona variants caused 81 and 24 infections each in 2024.
At least 14 of the 105 who contracted the bacteria - which is known to kill dozens of people every year - last year were hospitalised with severe infections.
The food safety chiefs noted that tomatoes were among several different contaminated foods that spread the bacteria on a national rather than restaurant-only scale. Red meat, eggs, and another "unidentified" vector were among the foods that transmitted Salmonella types Enteritidis, Anatum and Typhimurium.
They caused hundreds of more infections in multiple additional outbreaks, with the UKHSA finding the Typhimurium strain caused 109 infections alone.
The organisation noted in its report that the outbreaks, once reported to national surveillance, were "associated with the consumption of multiple different food vehicles".
The report states: "Seven outbreaks of Salmonella were reported to national surveillance in 2024, comprising 304 cases of which 280 cases were laboratory confirmed. These outbreaks were associated with the consumption of multiple different food vehicles including eggs, tomatoes and red meat products."
The report adds that infections of Salmonella and another bacteria, Campylobacer, have been on the increase in the last two years, with the former shooring up by more than 15 percent befire dropping slightly early this year.
It states: "The total number of confirmed Salmonella serovar laboratory reports increased by 17.1percent, from 8,872 reports in 2023 to 10,388 reports in 2024. Comparison of the number of confirmed Salmonella serovar laboratory reports in the first quarter of each year shows a rise of 16.0 percent, from 1,328 reports in Q1 2023 to 1,541 in Q1 2024, then a lower increase of 3.1 percent, to 1,588 in Q1 2025."
Salmonella, as the data shows, can be a widely spread disease, and while it is very rarely deadly, can cause a host of particularly unpleasant symptoms and even permanent damage.
Symptoms of infection with the bacteria can last up to a week, and include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and fever, with rare long-term complications including reactive arthritis, eye irritation, and painful urination. The longer-term symptoms have been known to persist for months at a time.
