Danish salmonella outbreak traced to English beef

Imported beef is responsible for the Salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 50 people, according to Danish officials.

Since March, 51 people in Denmark have been infected with the same type of Salmonella, according to the Statens Serum Institut (SSI).

The Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak has sickened 31 men and 20 women. Patients are between the ages of less than 1 year and 83 years old, with a mean age of 37 years. They live all over the country. 18 people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been recorded.

Interviews with patients revealed that 35 out of 37 people ate ground beef before the onset of the disease. The tracking link to Hilton Foods was created by examining the consumer purchasing data of eight patients.

Research by the SSI, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen) and the DTU Food Institute revealed that the meat is imported from England and milled at Hilton Foods’ Danish location.

Associated recalls
Hilton Foods Danmark has recalled a variety of ground beef produced between March 12 and May 6. The expiration date of the products varies from March 11 to May 13. They were sold in Dagli’Brugsen, SuperBrugsen, 365 Discount, Coop, Irma and Kvickly stores across the country.

Minced beef containing meat of English origin, produced between March 19 and 23, has been recalled as the likely source of Salmonella infection.

Beef, including meat of English origin, produced on May 4 and 5 has also been recalled because Salmonella was found in the product following the company’s own checks.

Minced beef produced with English raw materials on other dates in the period from March 12 to May 6 is also being recalled because raw materials from the same supplier are used in the products.

Some of the meat has passed its expiration date and is no longer available in stores, but consumers may still have it in the freezer. Other potentially affected products were in stores until recently, and authorities advised consumers to throw away the meat or return it to where it was purchased.

A spokesperson for Hilton Foods said the company operates to the “highest standards of health, safety and hygiene.”

“These are standards that we also expect and require from all our food suppliers and are verified through our supplier management and audit program.

“Hilton Foods Danmark A/S recently identified an issue regarding ground beef packaged in Denmark. After tracing this to an individual location of one of our suppliers, we have suspended all meat supplies from that location. This supplier is conducting a thorough investigation and all deliveries will remain suspended while the investigation is ongoing.”

Whole genome sequencing of bacteria isolated from patients showed that the samples were closely related and all belonged to sequence type 19.

In 2022, 899 cases of salmonella were recorded in Denmark, an increase compared to 2021 and 2020, but a decrease compared to 2019. Salmonella caused eleven outbreaks in 2022, three of which were part of international incidents.

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)