More than 80 people are sick in the United Kingdom in a Salmonella outbreak linked to a brand of dry-cured meat.
At the end of January 2026, an increase in cases of monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium caused by a single strain was identified through the analysis of whole genome sequencing (WGS) data, said the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
As of late February, 84 confirmed infections have been detected with testing of Salmonella isolates from cases confirming they are similar, suggesting a common source of contamination.
Confirmed illnesses have specimen dates between Jan. 7 and Feb. 11. Most sick people, 69, live in England, but 10 are in Wales and five are in Scotland. For cases in England, 23 patients are from the South East region and 16 from the East of England.
Link to product sold at Tesco
Patients range in age from 2 to 91 years old with a median age of 33. Forty-five are male and 39 are female. There have been several hospitalizations and two people had bloodstream infections but there have been no deaths.
Epidemiological investigations have identified a higher-than-expected proportion of cases reporting consumption of cured pork products in the seven days before they became unwell.
Of ill people interviewed, 23 consumed a cured pork product. Analysis of epidemiological and supermarket loyalty card data highlighted a link to an imported, ready-to-eat, cured pork product which is the likely source of infection. The product is sold at Tesco, a large UK supermarket chain.
Tesco withdrew the implicated product while further investigations were ongoing. Sampling by the supplier identified Salmonella in a batch of the product, which was then recalled on March 2.
French company Sacor recalled Bastides Saucisson Sec because of Salmonella. It comes in a 200-gram pack and has a best before date of March 4.
WGS results are pending to establish if the Salmonella isolated from the batch is related to the outbreak strain.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is investigating with international partners to identify the root cause of the outbreak.