Possible botulism outbreak linked to French market food, five hospitalised
All had eaten the same artisan product sold at markets and fairs in central France and the jars were not correctly sterilised
The pesto responsible for the illness has been recalled
Ministère de la Santé
Five people in central France have been rushed to intensive care after displaying signs of botulism, a severe and potentially fatal illness caused by eating infected food.
All the victims consumed the same product – a locally made artisan pesto with wild garlic (Ail des ours).
The jars containing the pesto were not correctly sterilised, leading deadly bacteria to form.
More people in the local area may be at risk of developing botulism in the coming days, said the regional health authority of the Centre-Val-de-Loire region.
The product, sold locally at events and fairs in the Indre-et-Loire department under the ‘Ô petits oignons’ name, has since been recalled.
It was notably sold at four events:
Fête des Plantes et du Printemps au château de la Bourdaisière à Montlouis-sur-Loire, du 30 mars au 1e avril 2024 ;
Fête « Nature en fête » au Château de Cangé à Saint-Avertin, les 13 et 14 avril 2024 ;
Foire à l’ail et au basilic à Tours, le 26 juillet 2024 ;
Festival de la tomate et des saveurs au château de la Bourdaisière à Montlouis-sur-Loire, les 7 et 8 septembre 2024.
Further information on the product can be found on the official RappelConso government recall website.
Anyone who purchased the product should immediately throw it away without eating nor opening it, the national health authorities recommend.
More cases may be on way
“The investigations carried out have shown that the sterilisation process for these preserves was not under control”, stated the French Health Department (Direction générale de la santé, DGS).
“Food scraps have been recovered and will be analysed by [the Institut Pasteur Paris] for biological confirmation of botulism.”
“Botulism occurs after an incubation period of a few hours to a few days, depending on the mode of contamination. Therefore, the occurrence of other cases in the coming days cannot be ruled out,” it added.
People who have consumed the product and experience symptoms including blurry vision, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth or difficulty speaking should consult a doctor immediately, the DGS added.
Symptoms usually appear within 12 to 72 hours after consuming a faulty product, but can appear anywhere up to 10 days after.
Botulism occurs when the sterilisation process for canned goods or charcuterie is not correctly followed.
In 2023, a severe outbreak of botulism occurred in Bordeaux, after homemade sardines sold at a wine bar were not canned correctly.
Up to 25 people, including tourists, were affected, with at least one person dying.
Read more: Tracing Bordeaux 'botulism' cases difficult as tourists affected
