Officials have confirmed 29 people have been struck by the bacterial infection, which in most extreme cases can require hospitalisation.
The food poisoning outbreak is caused by the rare strains Salmonella Blockley and Salmonella Strathcona, which the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned is particularly severe.
Last year 100 people were hit, with at least 14 hospitalised by two strains of the diarrhoea-causing bacteria.
Confirmed cases have been identified across 16 European countries.
Last month 500 people fell ill after eating tomatoes found to contain salmonella in Spain, and 14 required hospital admission, including eight adults and six children, from one restaurant meal.
Which type of tomatoes carry salmonella?
Testing carried out by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2023 and 2024 found that cherry tomatoes from Sicily in Italy had caused the outbreak there.
Research suggests that cherry tomatoes may be more likely to cause issues as they are often eaten raw and not cooked, which would usually kill off bacteria.
The Italian Ministry of Health implemented a sampling and testing plan to detect the bacteria in two varieties of cherry tomatoes, with local health authorities testing throughout 2024.
What to do if you have food poisoning
According to the NHS app, food poisoning is rarely serious and usually gets better within a week. You can normally treat yourself or your child at home.
Symptoms of food poisoning include:
- feeling sick or being sick
- diarrhoea
- tummy pain
- a high temperature
- feeling generally unwell
The symptoms usually start within a few hours or a few days of eating food that caused the infection.
Sometimes symptoms do not start for a few weeks.
What to do if you are worried about food poisoning symptoms
Call 111 now if:
- you’re worried about a baby under 12 months
- your child stops breast or bottle feeding while they’re ill
- a child under 5 years has signs of dehydration, such as fewer wet nappies
- you or your child (aged 5 years or over) still have signs of dehydration after using oral rehydration sachets
- you or your child keep being sick and cannot keep fluid down
- you or your child have bloody diarrhoea or bleeding from the bottom
- you or your child have diarrhoea for more than 7 days or vomiting for more than 2 days
111 will tell you what to do. They can arrange a phone call from a nurse or doctor if you need one.
Call 999 or go to A&E if you or your child:
- vomit blood or have vomit that looks like ground coffee
- have green vomit (adults)
- have yellow-green or green vomit (children)
- may have swallowed something poisonous
- have a stiff neck and pain when looking at bright lights
- have a sudden, severe headache
- have a sudden, severe tummy ache
- have blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown or black skin this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
- are having severe difficulty breathing, or taking lots of quick, short breaths
- are confused or not responding as usual
Recommended reading
The Italian Ministry of Health has implemented a sampling and testing plan to detect the bacteria in varieties of cherry tomatoes sold in Italy
Other affected countries include Italy, with 78 patients, Germany, Austria and France.
It comes as UKHSA data released earlier this year found salmonella cases have surged in the first three months of 2025, up on 2023 and 2024.
