Food-borne infections on the rise in the EU

According to the data contained in the annual report on zoonoses, zoonotic agents, and food-borne outbreaks entitled The European Union One Health Zoonoses Report, published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Union has recorded a significant increase in food-borne zoonoses, with salmonellosis being the most frequently reported zoonosis in Italy, followed by campylobacteriosis, which is the most frequently reported zoonosis in the European Union. The report is based on data collected in 2023 from 27 EU Member States, Northern Ireland, and 10 other non-EU European countries. In Italy, there were 3333 cases of salmonellosis in 2023, a rate of 5.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while 2363 Campylobacter infections were reported. In the same period, 171 food-borne outbreaks were reported, representing 3.0% of all registered outbreaks in the EU, with 1271 human cases, resulting in 349 hospitalisations and 3 deaths. Between 2014 and 2023, there was a statistically significant increase in the number of food-borne outbreaks observed in Italy. The sustained upward trend in listeriosis cases in Italy and the EU from 2019 to 2023 is a matter of concern.