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Emilia-Romagna has ordered public and private food-service providers in schools, hospitals and care facilities to stop serving uncooked cherry tomatoes until further notice. Authorities say investigations link Salmonella cases across Italy and other European countries to raw cherry and datterini tomatoes, but complex supply chains have made it difficult to identify the operators and products involved.
Emilia-Romagna has suspended uncooked cherry tomatoes in food service at schools, social care facilities, hospitals and nursing homes as Italian and European authorities investigate Salmonella infections linked to raw tomatoes. The order covers public and private providers and will remain in force until further notice, according to the regional notice.
The regional order applies to cherry tomatoes that have not undergone cooking. Authorities said they acted on the precautionary principle to protect public health while investigations continue. Providers that breach the order could face prosecution, the notice said.
Regional surveillance recorded 112 Salmonella Strathcona cases and five infections caused by monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium in Emilia-Romagna between 2024 and 2026, as the UK patient count in a Salmonella outbreak passed 600. Authorities say cases in several European countries and Italian regions over that period have been associated, through epidemiological, microbiological or genomic evidence, with eating raw cherry and datterini tomatoes, including an outbreak the UK linked to Moroccan tomatoes.
A national task force convened on Sept. 30, 2026, assessed recent outbreaks in Puglia, Lombardy, Lazio and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, while Spanish authorities were urged to share Salmonella outbreak details. Experts linked those outbreaks to fresh tomatoes contaminated with monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium sequence type 34 or Salmonella Strathcona sequence type 2559, according to the source report.
Raw Tomatoes Removed From Institutions
The measure affects meals served in settings where many people eat food prepared in shared kitchens, including schools, hospitals and residential care facilities. Removing uncooked cherry tomatoes is a targeted precaution while investigators work to trace potential sources; the order does not establish that every tomato, supplier or food-service site is contaminated.
The issue also crosses regional and national borders. More than 160 infections have been recorded in 10 European countries since July 2026, according to the source report. That reported total underlines the reach of the investigation, though the available information does not specify a full case breakdown or how many illnesses have been conclusively linked to particular products.
For families and institutional catering providers, the immediate practical change is that covered sites must not serve the specified tomatoes raw. The order concerns uncooked cherry tomatoes; the notice does not describe a general suspension of all tomato products.
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Earlier Regional Tomato Restrictions
Emilia-Romagna’s notice referred to assessments by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Food Safety Authority in 2024 and 2025, as well as notifications on the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed. The cited investigations concern Salmonella infections reported across multiple years and locations.
Puglia had already suspended the serving of raw fresh tomatoes in institutional catering preparation centers and distribution points, including nurseries, schools, care homes and hospitals. That action followed a rise in Salmonella Strathcona infections and the detection of Salmonella in a tomato batch from Caltanissetta, the report said.
Earlier testing in Austria detected the outbreak strain in organic cherry tomatoes from Italy in late 2025. The same strain had also been found in irrigation water at a tomato producer in Sicily. Emilia-Romagna officials said the complex traceability of fresh tomato supply chains makes it difficult to identify the businesses involved and establish where affected products were distributed.
Sources and Product Routes Unresolved
The available report does not identify a specific supplier, farm or batch as the source of the Emilia-Romagna cases. Officials say traceability challenges are complicating efforts to establish which operators were involved and where products went. The extent to which individual cases are linked to particular tomato lots is also not detailed.
The order is a precautionary measure during ongoing investigations, not a finding that all raw tomatoes are unsafe. The report does not give an end date, explain how compliance will be monitored or specify whether further products or sites could be included.
Restrictions Await Investigation Updates
The ban remains in force until further notice. Covered food-service providers must comply while authorities continue investigating infections and tomato supply routes. The source report does not provide a date for the next official review or say when the restriction may be lifted.
Further updates may clarify the source of contamination, affected distribution channels and whether the regional measure changes. Until authorities issue new guidance, the confirmed direction for covered institutions is not to use uncooked cherry tomatoes in food service.
Key Questions
Where is the raw tomato restriction in force?
The order applies in Emilia-Romagna to public and private food-service providers in schools, social care facilities, hospitals and nursing homes.
Which tomatoes are covered by the order?
The regional notice suspends the use of cherry tomatoes that have not been cooked. It does not describe a general ban on all tomatoes or tomato products.
Why did authorities suspend their use?
Authorities said Salmonella infections have been linked through epidemiological, microbiological or genomic evidence to the consumption of raw cherry and datterini tomatoes. The suspension is a precaution while investigations continue.
Has a specific contaminated supplier been identified?
The report does not name a source for the cases in Emilia-Romagna. Officials said complex fresh-tomato supply chains make it difficult to identify the operators involved and trace product distribution.
How long will the restriction last?
It remains in place until further notice. The available information does not give a review date or a timeline for lifting the order.
Source: rss
