Watermelons linked to death in UK Salmonella Newport outbreak

Related tags United kingdom

Watermelons have been linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Newport that has sickened more than 30 people and killed one.

The source of the outbreak, which was first detected in early December 2011, has yet to be identified, but watermelons have been pinpointed as the potential source, the UK Food Safety Agency (FSA) has announced.

The UK Health Protection Agency (HPA) is investigating the outbreak across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A total of 26 cases have been confirmed in England, three in Wales and one in Northern Ireland, the HPA said.

A further five have been sickened by the same strain in Scotland, four in the Republic of Ireland and 15 in Germany.

“We’ve been notified by the HPA about the outbreak of illness caused by a particular strain of Salmonella Newport. We are monitoring the situation and working closely with the European Commission, other countries, local authorities and the food industry, to investigate further,”​ said FSA director of food safety Alison Gleadle.

Cantaloupe melons were found to be the source of an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes in the US in 2011 that infected nearly 150 and killed 30 across 28 states.

Related topics Food Safety & Quality

Related news

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars