Public health officials in a Spanish region have linked tomatoes to an outbreak which affected at least 500 people.
It is estimated that more than 500 people suffered symptoms compatible with gastroenteritis. Fourteen patients required hospitalization. One child and three adults are still being treated at Barbastro Hospital.
Analysis of various foods related to the salmonellosis outbreak in Barbastro found Salmonella in tostadas con tomate, which is toasted bread topped with tomatoes.
Salmonella was also detected in supplied tomatoes and in utensils used to handle the food, blend the tomatoes and spread them on the toast.
Nuria Gayán, director general of public health at the Government of Aragon, and Antonio Español, head of food safety and environmental health, described the investigations into the Salmonella outbreak.
It was detected this past week after gastroenteritis was diagnosed in hundreds of people who consumed various tapas in early August, coinciding with the Somontano Wine Fair. Thousands of people are thought to have attended the event.
Finding the source
A survey was conducted to identify the consumed foods and the stalls where they were sold. Based on information from the surveys and medical records, the majority of those sick had consumed various tapas at the fair. Initial suspicions fell on five different establishments and various products that typically pose a higher risk of contamination.
Stool samples from patients tested positive for Salmonella serogroup C1.
Inspections at the five vendors covered the origin of products, traceability, handling processes, and whether cold chain and heat treatment rules were followed.
Officials ordered a thorough cleaning and disinfection of the outlet where the samples of tomatoes and kitchen utensils that tested positive for Salmonella were taken. Food handlers who were positive will not be allowed to handle food until their test results are negative.
Gayán expressed her gratitude to the establishments and festival organizers for their cooperation as part of the investigation and adoption of measures to address the foodborne outbreak. She said thanks to these efforts it was possible to determine the source of contamination.
Gayán also stressed the importance of applying basic food safety standards, such as proper hand hygiene and the washing of vegetables. She said maintaining the cold chain until consumption was important, especially in summer with high temperatures. It is also essential to adapt the capacity of the stand to the volume served to ensure product safety.
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