An analysis covering several years in Finland found that while norovirus was the most common cause of food poisoning, Salmonella was behind it.
From 2020 to 2022, there were 135 foodborne illness outbreaks in the register maintained by the Finnish Food Agency (Ruokavirasto). Overall, 2,543 people became ill, 86 were hospitalized, and 15 died.
A total of 55 outbreaks were recorded in 2022, 46 in 2021 and 34 in 2020, according to a report published by Luokavilast and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
Norovirus was the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks during the period with 34 outbreaks. Contaminated oysters were linked to five of his norovirus outbreaks. Salmonella outbreaks accounted for 226 cases in 13 cases, Campylobacter cases accounted for 101 cases in 12 cases, Listeria cases accounted for 7 cases in 69 cases, Yersinia enterocolitica caused outbreaks in 5 cases in 40 cases, and Escherichia coli caused outbreaks in 3 cases in 90 cases. did. In 33 outbreaks, the causative agent was unknown.
Outbreak details by pathogen
Salmonella typhimurium caused the most significant events in June 2021. He is one of 728 people who became ill due to the salad mix included in school lunches provided at daycare centers. More than 100 staff members fell ill, and 620 patients were children. More than 50 locations received food from the same central kitchen.
Salmonella Mbandaka caused the largest outbreak in 2022 and was part of an EU-wide incident linked to chicken. A total of 97 people became ill in Finland. In 2021, a severe outbreak of E. coli O103 affected 62 people. Two people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and two died. Salad products were suspected, but food testing did not find the outbreak strain.
Two Listeria clusters (one with 23 cases between 2016 and 2020 and the other with 14 cases during the same period) were linked to meat products.
Most foodborne illnesses were small-scale, with fewer than 10 cases. Two he had over 100 patients. The rest were medium-sized, with 11 cases and 100 cases.
Bacillus cereus caused three outbreaks in 2020 and 2022 that sickened 28 people. One of the cases was found to have come from a contaminated oat beverage. Clostridium perfringens also caused three outbreaks, with 62 people becoming ill. His two ETEC outbreaks affected 39 people. Nine outbreaks were caused by histamine, and 35 were caused by Cryptosporidium, with one outbreak each.
Food and causes
The most commonly reported food vehicles were vegetables and products, with 16 incidents. The second most common product was seafood products such as seafood, shellfish, and mussels, with 12 cases. However, in most outbreaks either no fomite was identified or some food was suspected.
Imported frozen raspberries caused one hepatitis A virus outbreak resulting in five cases. In 2022, his hepatitis E outbreak affected four people. In the outbreak attributed to raw milk cheese, E. coli and Cryptosporidium caused the illness. Another small E. coli outbreak was also linked to raw milk.
Twenty-three outbreaks occurred due to infected kitchen workers participating in food preparation and improper hand hygiene. In nearly all of these cases, the causative agent was norovirus. The use of contaminated raw materials was associated with 18 outbreaks. In 16 outbreaks, there were deficiencies or errors in temperature or food storage.
The main outbreak locations are restaurants, cafes or hotels, with 64 outbreaks, followed by households with 16 outbreaks. Sixteen nationwide or multi-location outbreaks were also reported.
Meanwhile, data from Helsinki shows that there will be more reports of suspected food poisoning in 2023 than in the previous year. However, according to the investigation, the number of cases decreased from 18 to 13, with a total of 245 people becoming ill.
Suspected food poisoning alerts increased from 654 to 795 in 2022. This trend may be related to an increase in restaurant dining or increased awareness by management of the need to report incidents. In most cases of suspected food poisoning, the cause is unknown or the disease was not related to the cause.
Four of the 13 food poisoning outbreaks were caused by norovirus. Three cases were related to infections among kitchen workers, and the other was caused by oysters. Contaminated oysters caused 150 people to become ill after eating at various restaurants. Norovirus was discovered in oysters in the Netherlands, France and Ireland, leading to several lots of product being removed from the market.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here. )