Several Salmonella outbreaks in France have been linked to eggs from Poland.
Between May and July 2026, France reported four outbreaks of Salmonella Enteritidis linked to mayonnaise, chocolate mousse, and tiramisu.
At the end of July, sale of the suspected contaminated eggs in France was suspended.
In June, French authorities issued a Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) notification to report the results of national investigations. This alert mentions 16 sick people, including nine males and seven females. Four people were admitted to hospitals. Patients ranged in age from 1 to 55 years old and mainly had fever and diarrhea, according to Santé publique France.
Epidemiological and microbiological investigations confirmed homemade egg-based products as the vehicle of infections. This includes the identification of five food isolates, collected from eggs and egg-based products sampled at patients’ homes, that belong to two distinct strains. These isolates match the two human strains of the four French outbreaks.
Traceability investigations linked all outbreaks to an egg distribution network involving two packing centers and three laying hen farms belonging to the same company in Poland. These farms had previously been associated with a salmonellosis outbreak linked to eggs that affected 18 European countries between 2016 and 2020.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said repeated detection of Salmonella in eggs from the same group suggests persistent contamination or possible reintroduction upstream in the production chain. Findings highlight the need for further investigations to identify the possible root causes of vertical and/or horizontal contamination.
Details of four outbreaks
The product in the first outbreak was homemade mayonnaise, which was collected in late May from a patient’s home. Microbiological analysis detected Salmonella Enteritidis, matching the national representative human strain. Traceback work found the eggs used to prepare the mayonnaise came from a Polish packing center and a Polish farm.
According to Polish authorities, this batch of eggs was laid in a henhouse that tested negative for Salmonella in December 2025, as well as January, April, and June 2026. Environmental samples from the packing center in May 2026 were also negative.
The suspected product in the second outbreak was homemade chocolate mousse. There were no leftovers to be sampled. Investigations traced the eggs used to another batch from a different Polish packing center and farm.
Polish officials said tests of dust and fecal samples in the henhouse and of feed for Salmonella were negative and results were satisfactory at the packing center.
In the third outbreak, there were no leftovers of tiramisu dessert. Two batches of eggs were involved from the same packing center and farm as the second outbreak as well as another farm.
The fourth outbreak involved homemade mayonnaise but there were no leftovers to test. Four egg samples from the patient’s home were Salmonella Enteritidis positive and matched the national representative human strain.
