An outbreak of Salmonella in Belgium traced to eggs has sickened more than 230 people.
The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) confirmed to Food Safety News that 236 people are ill in the Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak.
Patients range in age from less than 1 to 96 years old. They fell sick between Feb. 19, 2025, and May 11, 2026.
Earlier in this month, Laerco BV issued a withdrawal and recall of eggs stamped with certain codes because of the possible presence of Salmonella.
Affected codes are “2-BE-1073-01”, “2-BE-1073-02”, “2-BE-1073-03” and “2-BE-1073-04”. Best before dates range from May 8 to June 5, 2026.
Consumers were advised to return implicated products to the place of sale for a refund.
Salmonella was found in a dust sample taken from a Laerco BV chicken coop and subsequent analysis revealed it was the same type detected in patients.
Measures taken for positive Salmonella Enteritidis samples have been applied at the company. These include FASFC supervision, limited contact with flocks, cleaning and disinfection of the premises before introducing new flocks, and eggs undergoing heat treatment, such as pasteurization, before being placed on the market for human consumption.
According to a Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) notification, the eggs were also distributed to France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
Previous egg outbreak
In 2025, 773 foodborne outbreaks were reported, 3,375 people fell ill and 71 of them required hospitalization.
In early 2025, the National Reference Centre for Salmonella at Sciensano detected an increase in reports of Salmonella. An investigation to determine the origin was launched by FASFC, also known as AFSCA, the Flemish Department Zorg and Sciensano, the Belgian national public health institute.
Results showed that eggs caused the outbreak. Sciensano linked 67 cases of salmonellosis to the outbreak, mainly in Flanders.
FASFC traced the products and visited a laying hen farm to take samples. The same strain of Salmonella as in the patients was found in these samples, confirming the suspected source. Depo-Ei CV withdrew and recalled eggs with certain codes and dates.
About Salmonella infections
Food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria does not usually look, smell, or taste spoiled. Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection. Infants, children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are fragile.
Anyone who has eaten any of the implicated eggs and developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek medical attention. Sick people should tell their doctors about the possible exposure to Salmonella bacteria because special tests are necessary to diagnose salmonellosis. Salmonella infection symptoms can mimic other illnesses, frequently leading to misdiagnosis.
Symptoms of Salmonella infection can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Otherwise, healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days. In some cases, however, diarrhea may be so severe that patients require hospitalization.
Older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, are more likely to develop a severe illness and serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions.
Some people get infected without getting sick or showing any symptoms. However, they may still spread the infections to others.
