Industry update (October 2026)
Food safety developments, recalls and incidents
In this article we welcome guest author and industry expert, Alec Kyriakides, to explore some of the food safety developments, recalls and incidents that have happened recently.
Food Safety Developments
French foodborne disease outbreaks
A report published by the French public health authority of foodborne disease outbreaks in 2024, highlighted 2,096 outbreaks affecting 20,045 people, of whom 630 sought medical case and six died. Salmonella spp. was the most common confirmed pathogen causing 43% illnesses (of a confirmed pathogen) and up from 31% in 2023. Other organisms implicated in outbreaks included Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium perfringens. The majority of outbreaks were linked to meals at commercial restaurants (48%).
Food handler guide
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has published a guide that details the food safety skills food handlers must be able to demonstrate before they start handling food in the workplace. It provides a readily accessible set of principles including guidance on the causes of foodborne disease, the microorganisms and their spread together with key areas of control such as cross contamination, cooking, cooling and personal hygiene.
Food safety data sharing
A study of 27 food industry leaders’ perceptions of voluntary food safety data sharing identified four themes influencing data sharing decisions including benefits, technical barriers, trust, and data governance. Trust in stakeholders e.g. industry peers, regulatory bodies, customers and data protection measures significantly influenced data sharing decisions with data governance emerging as a potential solution to concerns about control and loss of data.
Findings from Dutch official inspections of premises during summer months
A report published by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) from 154 inspections carried out in July and August 2026 at premises by the sea, at recreational ponds, campsites, playgrounds and outdoor pools found 96 violations and 8 serious violations. Violations in areas associated with improper handling of food included 15% of businesses not storing food correctly e.g. temperature abuse, up from 4% in colder months (January – March 2026) and 19% where food was not prepared or cooled correctly. Hygiene violations were reported at 29% of businesses including examples of dirty floors, refrigerators and ice machines and also mouse droppings, mould and food residues. Twenty seven percent of businesses had violations due to insufficient measures to keep flies out of the kitchen or control them and, finally, allergen information was not correctly presented to customers in 40% of premises.
Cell-cultivated products
The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland published new supplementary guidance for businesses developing cell-cultivated products. The guidance covers regulatory authorisation and the assessment of growth media components and toxicology with the overall intention of helping businesses in this sector to better understand the regulatory requirements and strengthen their applications.
Antimicrobial surfaces for reusable packaging
A recent comprehensive review was published of various strategies for creating antimicrobial surfaces suitable for reusable food packaging. The review highlighted considerations in relation to a number of surface types including functionalized surfaces (incorporating antimicrobial agents), superwettable surfaces (designed to prevent microbial adhesion), smart surfaces (incorporating bactericidal and antifouling mechanisms) and patterned surfaces (alteration of surface topography to inhibit microbial adhesion or kill cells).
BSE
A case of classical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) was confirmed in a cow on a farm in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland in August. Investigations into the origin of the disease are ongoing and mandatory movement restrictions were applied together with destruction of cohorts such as offspring. The Philippines responded by banning beef imports from the UK.
Vibrio vulnificus
Cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections in Louisiana have increased to 21 for the year with 7 reported deaths. This pathogen is particularly associated with warm, brackish seawater and is often contracted through the consumption of raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly raw oysters, although infections can also occur through contact of water with wounds. Florida is particularly exposed to this pathogen from severe weather events such as storms, hurricanes and flood waters that can lead to increased exposure to individuals through food and direct contact.
Campylobacter spp. reduction using light
Researchers have published a report on the violet-blue photodynamic inactivation (VB-PDI) of a variety of Campylobacter species, including those demonstrating antimicrobial resistance. The treatment uses 405 nm visible light to activate endogenous photosensitisers and generate bactericidal intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species, causing bactericidal effects. The study demonstrated efficacy against 64 isolates from UK poultry surveillance programmes and found that all isolates were susceptible to VB-PDI to a similar level. The researchers concluded that VB-PDI offered potential as part of an intervention strategy for reducing Campylobacter spp. in the food chain although clearly challenges such as delivering reductions where the organism is protected from the light remain.
Hacking of cold storage units
The potential vulnerability of online remote management systems to software hacks was exposed in a recent event where software to remotely manage cold/frozen storage units across a number of retail outlets in France was hacked by malicious actors resulting in the units increasing in temperature for extended periods causing products to defrost and be temperature abused.
Foodborne disease outbreaks
An outbreak of salmonellosis implicating rocket salad from Italy was reported in Sweden with 16 cases. As part of the ongoing investigation into the outbreak of salmonellosis in the UK implicating imported shell eggs that has affected nearly 700 people, a small outbreak of 36 cases has been linked with a producer in Ukraine that prompted a nationwide recall. Oysters were implicated in an outbreak of salmonellosis caused by an unusual type, Salmonella Telelkebir, in Virginia, USA affecting 27 people with 5 hospitalised. The outbreak resulted in the closure of the shellfish growing area. The salmonellosis outbreak implicating tomatoes from Sicily, Italy caused by Salmonella Strathcona between 2023 and 2025 affecting 437 individuals across 17 EE / EEA countries, the UK and USA is reportedly ongoing with a further 160 cases reported in 2026. This has prompted a number of authorities to alert consumers to avoid the consumption of these products including Austria where a further 29 cases have been identified since July 2026. The outbreak in the USA implicating sprouted seeds due to contamination with Salmonella spp. and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli has now caused 76 cases and six hospitalisations across 16 states.
The outbreak of STEC infections caused by E. coli O157 implicating chicken wraps has now affected 50 individuals. An outbreak of botulism in Kazakhstan, affecting a single family of five including three adults and two children, is believed to have been caused by the consumption of home-produced cold-smoked fish. Two cases of botulism in Switzerland have prompted the recall of a pork shank terrine product sold in markets and at butchers shops. Other recalls / advisories due to the risk of botulism or the presence of botulinum toxin include truffle sauce in Italy and cold smoked salmon in the USA. The final case number in the cyclosporiasis outbreak in the USA caused by contaminated iceberg lettuce, imported from Mexico was 12883 across 21 states with 570 hospitalised and 2 deaths. Investigations conducted by the US FDA included sampling of water, soil, sediment, and iceberg lettuce with two samples from onsite inspections in Mexico, testing positive for Cyclospora spp., one from a tank that held outgoing wastewater from the processing facility and another from a drainage ditch of an iceberg lettuce grower. An outbreak of norovirus infections simultaneously affecting over 20 kindergartens in Georgia is being investigated to determine the common source. Over 100 children have reportedly been hospitalised.
An outbreak of gastrointestinal illness of unknown origin has reportedly affected 5000 people in Tokat, Turkey with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Waterborne and foodborne sources are being investigated. Other outbreaks where the food source has yet to be identified include one in South Korea amongst festival goers, with 930 cases of illness, the majority of which are attributable to Salmonella spp., although norovirus and sapovirus have been reported in a small number of cases. A municipal water supply was implicated in an outbreak affecting over 400 individuals, mostly under 4 years of age, in South Africa with norovirus, Salmonella spp., and Campylobacter spp., having been isolated from a number of cases. Fifty-five children from a boarding school in Almaty, Kazakhstan were reportedly hospitalized with suspected foodborne illness. Temperature abuse was cited as a possible causative factor in an outbreak of 292 cases of gastrointestinal illness affecting call centre workers in Madagascar supplied by a common catering company. Banh mi (sandwiches) were once again suspected as the source of an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness that hospitalised 55 people in Vietnam. Food distributed amongst free meal programmes has been suspected in two large outbreaks of disease (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and dizziness) in Indonesia affecting 432 residents and 120 students, respectively. Foodborne and waterborne sources are being investigated as part of a suspected Hepatitis A outbreak in the Philippines affecting 73 individuals, mostly students aged 10-19 years.
Four deaths in Utah, USA following the consumption of kratom herbal supplements prompted the issuing of an urgent health warning to avoid consumption of implicated products. Kratom is a tropical evergreen tree, the leaves of which contain a variety of alkaloids that induce a dose-dependent stimulating / sedating effect. It is believed that the fatalities were caused by semi-synthetic kratom derivatives that serve to increase the potency and potential adverse effects.
Food Recall Highlights
The data used for this food recall highlights review is sourced from open access recall databases covering different countries and continents including the USA (Food & Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture), the UK (Food Standards Agency), Germany (Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety) and Australia (Food Standards Australia New Zealand).
Microbiological recalls included a predominance of fish products due to contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a number of Salmonella spp. related recalls due to sprouted seeds and seeds for sprouting and STEC in a number of cheeses.
Listeria monocytogenes: pasta, salmon and prawns products, rainbow trout, cold smoked salmon and other fish (1, 2), coffee ice cream
Salmonella spp.: black pepper, prepared foods containing pistachio, eggs, sesame paste, dried flavoured pasta (1, 2), broccoli seeds for sprouting (1,2, 3)
STEC: multiple cheeses, reduced fat milk, ripened cheese, dried meat, blueberry and berry mix, raw milk cheddar cheese
Other: fruit sweets (mould), pate (incorrect use by date), full cream long life milk (spoilage), infant formula (1, 2) (cereulide), white beans (mould), beef meal in jar (under processed), pork crackling, canned chicken sausage (ineligible import), meat and poultry products (temperature abuse), beef jerky (uninspected product), smoked salmon (advisory due to botulism risk)
Allergen recalls included those usual drivers including gluten and milk although contamination events associated with bread with soya were notable in the recalls last month.
Gluten: spring roll wrapper, chopped liver
Milk: dried noodle snack, curry cubes, noodles, bread
Nut: chocolate wafer (cashew)
Soya: frozen pizza
Multiple allergens: Christmas tree cookies (not declared in English), lasagne meal (egg, milk), flapjacks (nut, soya, wheat gluten), cake (egg, soya)
Physical contamination recalls included the usual hazards, glass, metal and plastic and there was also an increase in recalls due to infestation.
Glass: dairy desserts (1, 2), fruit spread, mung beans
Metal: mini salami, biscuits, ice cream,
Plastic: soft cheese, chocolate protein bar,
Other: red rice (webs and pests), blackcurrant fruit spread (unspecified), cream cheese ring, salsa bean dip, (pest / insect infestation)
Chemical recalls were less numerous last month with illegal dyes driving some recalls in ground sumac powder.
Mycotoxin: ground coffee (Aflatoxin A)
Other: ground sumac (illegal dyes - Sudan I, Sudan IV, E 122 (azorubine) and E 124 (cochineal red)), dried herb (Pyrrolizidine alkaloids), sumac (1, 2) (chlorpyrifos and unauthorised dye)
