Foodborne Illnesses on the Rise in EU; Listeria Cases Reach Highest Level Since 2007
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The latest EU One Health Zoonoses Report has been published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC), covering the year 2023. According to the report, foodborne illnesses are rising in the EU, with listeriosis cases reaching their highest levels since 2007.
A total of 5,691 foodborne illness outbreaks were recorded in the EU in 2023, registering a slight decrease compared to 2022. However, the number of individual cases, hospitalizations, and deaths increased, with fatalities reaching their highest level in a decade. Salmonella was the most significant driver of foodborne illness outbreaks (1,115) and related cases (9,210), hospitalizations (1,726), and deaths (16).
Listeria monocytogenes
Listeria monocytogenes infections have been consistently rising in the EU between 2019 and 2023, hitting a total of 2,952 human cases in 2023. EU officials speculate that this increase could be attributed to the EU’s aging population; more than one-fifth of Europeans are now over 65 years old, raising the risk of severe symptoms. Listeriosis was the fifth most prevalent zoonotic disease reported in the EU in 2023.
A total of 19 foodborne illness outbreaks were associated with L. monocytogenes in 2023, causing 133 related cases, 84 hospitalizations, and 11 deaths.
The most common source of listeriosis infections were linked to contaminated ready-to-eat (RTE) foods including cold smoked salmon, meat, and dairy. RTE product sampling and testing showed the proportion of contamination exceeding EU limits among different product categories to range from 0.11–0.78 percent, with fermented sausages most frequently exceeding L. monocytogenes limits.
Campylobacter
Campylobacteriosis was the most frequently reported zoonotic diseases in the EU in 2023. Infections by Campylobacter increased from 139,225 total human cases in 2022 to 141,181 cases in 2023.
Poultry and meat products were the most commonly implicated vehicle of illness in foodborne illness outbreaks (15 of 229), comprising 1,174 illnesses and 90 hospitalizations.
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Although campylobacteriosis cases increased from 2022–2023, the report states that incidence has not significantly increased or decreased between 2019 and 2023.
Salmonella
Salmonella infections were the second most common zoonotic disease in the EU in 2023, increasing from 65,478 total human cases in 2022 to 77,486 cases in 2023. Eggs and egg products were the food category most frequently linked to foodborne illness outbreaks (83), followed by “mixed food” (65) and poultry meat/poultry products (30).
Additionally, the number of Member States that met EU reduction goals for Salmonella in poultry decreased from 19 in 2022 to 15 (plus the UK and Northern Ireland) in 2023. EFSA underlines the importance of continuing to reduce the presence of Salmonella in poultry to combat foodborne salmonellosis.
Despite the increase in salmonellosis cases between 2022 and 2023, incidence has not significantly increased or decreased between 2019 and 2023.
STEC
Infections by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) accounted for 10,217 human cases in 2023, making it the third most prevalent zoonotic disease, increasing from 7,117 cases in 2023. The overall trend for STEC infections showed an increase in the 2019–2023 period.
A total of 66 foodborne illness outbreaks were linked to STEC, resulting in 270 related cases of illness, 48 hospitalizations, and one death. Of the food vehicles that were successfully implicated in foodborne illness outbreaks, dairy products (other than cheeses) were the most common (three), followed by cheese (two), and bovine meat/bovine meat products (one).
