There were more than 6,500 foodborne outbreaks in 2024, a new report says.
Cases of serious food poisoning linked to Listeria bacteria rose in Europe last year, likely fuelled by changing diets and an ageing population, health and food safety authorities have warned.
There were more than 3,000 confirmed Listeria infections in 2024, with about 70 per cent needing hospital care and one in 12 people dying, according to a new report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Listeria is a type of bacteria that thrives in damp, cool settings and can be difficult to kill even with aggressive sanitising efforts. Infections, often through food, are rare but can be deadly.
Up to 3 per cent of ready-to-eat foods have Listeria contamination levels above EU food safety limits, the report found. Fermented sausages are the most frequently contaminated item.
“Even though contamination is rare, Listeria can cause severe illness, which makes it one of the most serious foodborne threats we monitor,” said Ole Heuer, who leads the ECDC’s work connecting human, animal, and environmental health.
The report tracked infections with Listeria, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), and other bacteria across the European Union, the United Kingdom, and eight other non-EU countries.
There were 6,558 foodborne outbreaks in 2024, up 14.5 per cent from the year before, according to the report. While cases and hospitalisations also rose, the number of deaths fell last year.
The “upward trend” in foodborne infections is likely due to a combination of factors, the report said, including changing eating habits – for example, more ready-to-eat meals – as well as unhygienic food handling practices and an ageing population that is more vulnerable to illness.
In 2024, vegetables and other non-animal products were linked to the most deaths in food poisoning outbreaks with strong evidence on their origins. But Salmonella was responsible for most multi-country outbreaks overall, with eggs and egg products the key vehicle.
The EU agencies said there has been a “significant increase” in Salmonella infections on poultry farms over the past decade, and that many EU countries are not doing enough to combat them.
“This year, a significant number of EU countries failed to meet all the targets for reducing Salmonella in poultry, with only 14 member states reaching full compliance,” Frank Verdonck, head of EFSA’s biological hazards and animal health and welfare unit, said in a statement.
The agencies said people can take steps to keep safe from foodborne infections, including by keeping the refrigerator at 5°C or below, eating ready-to-eat meals before the use-by date, cooking meat thoroughly, keeping cooked and raw foods separate, and washing hands, cooking tools, and surfaces after handling raw foods.
They also said “vulnerable groups” – including older adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems – should “avoid consuming high-risk foods” such as ready-to-eat meals, unpasteurised milk, and soft unpasteurised cheese.
Protecting these groups “requires strong surveillance, safe food production and key precautions at home,” Heuer said.
