Italy orders broccoli recall after botulism outbreak causes death and hospitalisations

A man has died and nine others were hospitalised in southern Italy after eating broccoli products suspected by health officials to be contaminated with botulism, triggering a nationwide broccoli recall.

Botulism is a rare but potentially fatal toxin that attacks the nervous system, leading to muscle paralysis and breathing difficulties.

Investigation ongoing

Fifty-two-year-old artist and musician Luigi Di Sarno became critically ill on Thursday while driving his family home from a holiday in Calabria. The family had stopped at a street food van in Diamante, Cosenza province, where they all ate the same broccoli and sausage sandwich linked to the outbreak.

Near Lagonegro, Potenza, Mr Di Sarno’s condition worsened suddenly, forcing the family to stop in the town of Basilicata. Emergency services rushed to the scene, but he tragically died before reaching the hospital. An autopsy is pending to confirm the cause of death.

Nine others, including two women in their 40s and two teenagers, also developed symptoms consistent with botulism and were admitted to hospitals in Cosenza. Two patients reportedly remain in serious condition in intensive care.

Following the incident, authorities swiftly seized jars of broccoli in oil and the food van that prepared the sandwiches as the investigation continues. The Paola Public Prosecutor’s Office has now launched an investigation into how Clostridium botulinum bacteria contaminated the food.

The Calabria Region’s Department of Health and Welfare said:

The emergency procedure established in these cases has been activated, which requires immediate notification to the Poison Control Center in Pavia, the only national centre designated for the management of botulism.”

No region or hospital in the country is authorised to store the antivenom in their own facilities. This serum, however, is exclusively available to the Ministry of Health, which holds it in designated secure locations and distributes it only through the Lombardy Poison Control Centre.”

This outbreak follows a similar botulism incident last month in Sardinia where eight people fell ill after consuming tainted guacamole at a festival.

What is botulism?

Botulism is a rare but serious illness in which a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum attacks the nervous system. Common symptoms include muscle weakness, double vision and difficulty swallowing. In foodborne botulism, symptoms may also include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhoea.

Foodborne botulism is often linked to improperly canned, preserved or fermented foods. Without prompt treatment, botulism can be fatal in around 5-10 per cent of cases.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises consumers:

Do not eat food if you do not know whether it was safely canned, preserved, or fermented.

Do not eat home-canned or store-bought food if the food or its container has signs of contamination.”