A salmonella outbreak in the UK in December last year may be linked to watermelon.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is investigating an outbreak of a strain of Salmonella Newport infection among 30 people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since the beginning of December 2011. Cases of illness caused by the same strain have also been confirmed in Scotland, Ireland and Germany.
The 30 cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland ranged in age from six months to 85 years. One person has died although they had serious underlying health complications. Seventy per cent of cases were women with the east of England having more cases than other regions.
Dr Bob Adak, head of the gastrointestinal diseases department at the HPA said: “Although it’s too soon to say with certainty what the likely cause of infection is, early indications suggest that a number of people became unwell after eating watermelon. This has also been noted in the cases in Scotland and Germany although further investigation is ongoing.
“It’s important to remember the risk of becoming unwell after eating watermelon is very low. These cases only represent a very small proportion of total consumption. It is always advisable to wash fruits and vegetables - including watermelon - before consumption to reduce the risk of possible illness.
“Colleagues from the Food Standards Agency are part of the outbreak control team and they are working with us to identify the source of this outbreak.”
The Fresh Produce Consortium has also been advising the authorities over the outbreak and providing information on the calendar of supply and seasonal information on sourcing. Chief executive Nigel Jenney said: “Consumers should continue to enjoy eating fresh produce as part of a healthy diet. It is common sense for consumers to wash fruit and vegetables before eating them and to follow good hygiene practices in the home when preparing any food.”
He added that food poisoning outbreaks linked with the contamination of fresh produce remain extremely rare in the UK. “Fresh fruit and vegetables have accounted for just 3.8 per cent of all food borne outbreaks in England and Wales over the last 18 years,” he said. “Good agricultural practices, hygiene preparations and packaging minimise the potential for contamination. The fresh produce industry has stringent standards in place to ensure that consumers can enjoy safe, healthy, good quality fresh produce.”
Salmonella Newport has been found in many different foods in previous UK outbreaks - the largest one was in 2004 and was associated with the consumption of lettuce at restaurants and takeaways.
Alison Gleadle, director of food safety at the FSA, said: “We’ve been notified by the HPA about the outbreak of illness caused by a particular strain of Salmonella Newport. We are monitoring the situation and working closely with the European Commission, other countries, local authorities and the food industry, to investigate further.”
