Norwegian officials are investigating a national outbreak of Salmonella that may be linked to alfalfa sprouts.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) said 23 people had fallen sick with Salmonella Newport from nine regions.
Patients have been reported since mid-October. They range in age from 18 to 79 with a median of 48 years old and 16 of them are women. Eight people have been hospitalized. Bacteria with a similar genetic profile have been detected in all patients, which suggests a common source of infection.
Ill people live in Vestland, Trøndelag, Rogaland, Møre og Romsdal, Innlandet, Østfold, Akershus, Telemark, and Oslo.
Sprout link
FHI is investigating the incident with Mattilsynet (The Norwegian Food Safety Authority), the Veterinary Institute and local authorities.
“Several of the infected people in the outbreak reported eating sprouts. Earlier this year, FHI also saw an increase in cases of Salmonella infection where sprouts have been suspected as the cause of disease. We have therefore examined sprouts in detail in collaboration with Mattilsynet,” said Umaer Naseer from FHI.
Consumers are advised to throw away sprouts purchased in recent weeks. This also applies to products where alfalfa sprouts are an ingredient, such as sandwiches, baguettes, salads, and wraps.
The suspicion is based on patient interviews, epidemiological data, patients’ purchasing information and product distribution patterns.
Mattilsynet is taking samples of food, packaging, and from production environments. The Veterinary Institute will examine these for Salmonella and see if any positives can be linked to the outbreak.
Norske Spirer has recalled products containing organic alfalfa sprouts from the market. This applies to all packs and dates currently on sale and in the supply chain. Best before dates range from Nov. 27 to Dec. 11, 2024.
Items are sold in a number of grocery stores across the country such as Rema 1000, Coop, Kiwi, Meny, Bunnpris, Joker, and Spar.
Norway recorded 757 Salmonella cases in 2023, with 37 percent infected in the country and 63 percent infected abroad. Three Salmonella outbreaks affected 14 people.
Swedish update
Meanwhile, in Sweden there has been a recall as authorities continue to investigate a different Salmonella outbreak also linked to sprouts.
Folkhälsomyndigheten (the Public Health Agency of Sweden) said 92 people from 18 regions have been infected with one of 12 genetically closely related Salmonella Typhimurium sequence type (ST) 36 variants.
Authorities made a connection between illness and consumption of alfalfa sprouts germinated from a certain seed batch. SydGrönt and Munkagrodden issued a recall and stopped germination from the seed lot. Products have a best before date of Nov. 24 to Dec. 3.
“We carry out careful quality checks and pasteurize seeds before germination. We take the incident seriously and are now investigating together with the authorities,” said Eva Bendroth, from Munkagrodden.
Work including sampling, analysis, and tracking is ongoing with help from the Swedish Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) and other agencies.
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