At least 306 people in Belgium have fallen ill with salmonella after consuming eggs, according to the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC). The outbreak has been traced to eggs from Laerco, a poultry company based in Geel, in the northern region of Flanders.
Salmonella was first detected at the facility in late April. Within weeks, a large-scale recall removed all eggs from the site from the market. Initially, the contamination appeared confined to one of the company's four henhouses, but the number of new infections did not decline as expected.
Further laboratory tests uncovered the bacteria in a second henhouse, prompting FASFC to halt operations at the farm and issue another recall of potentially affected eggs. The products had been distributed through major supermarket chains including Colruyt, Delhaize, Aldi, and Carrefour.
Cross-border reach
The precautionary recall has been extended to Luxembourg, and FASFC has alerted several other European countries that may have received the eggs, including the Netherlands, France, Italy, and Portugal. This cross-border dimension underscores the interconnected nature of Europe's food supply chain, where a single producer can affect consumers across multiple member states.
Salmonella is a group of bacteria that causes salmonellosis, a gastrointestinal illness. Symptoms typically include diarrhoea, fever, and abdominal cramps. In more severe cases, the infection can lead to high fever, aches, and even death, particularly in vulnerable groups such as the elderly, young children, and those with weakened immune systems.
The outbreak is a reminder of the ongoing challenges in food safety across the continent. Earlier this year, Belgium faced a different kind of emergency with its largest wildfire in a century, but foodborne illnesses remain a persistent public health concern.
FASFC has advised consumers who may have purchased eggs from the affected batches to return them to the point of sale or dispose of them. The agency is continuing to monitor the situation and has increased testing at poultry facilities in the region.
While the source of the contamination has been identified, the full scale of the outbreak may not yet be known, as some cases could go unreported or be misattributed. Health authorities in Belgium and neighbouring countries are collaborating to track the spread and prevent further infections.
For now, the focus remains on containing the outbreak and reassuring the public that food safety measures are being reinforced. The incident also highlights the importance of robust surveillance systems and rapid response mechanisms within the European Union's food safety framework.
