Marler Clark LLP, PS (LexBlog Italy)

Investigations into a pregnancy-related case of listeriosis found a wider outbreak in Italy, according to a study. In January 2020, a 28-year-old pregnant woman, living in a city near Rome, was admitted to a hospital in Rome. A cesarean section was performed and a baby girl was born. The baby had respiratory distress and was...

A man has been arrested in Italy for threatening to tamper with food and water products in supermarkets. Investigators said the 47-year-old man claimed he would target mineral water and food items in supermarkets by injecting them with cyanide, thallium sulphate and rat poison, if he was not paid a ransom in cryptocurrencies. Italian officials...

A type of pesto has been linked to a case of foodborne botulism in Italy. The laboratory confirmed case of botulism occurred in Rome and was reported by Italian officials this week. No details were given about the condition of the patient. An epidemiological investigation has placed suspicion on a Sicilian broccoli and almond pesto....

Raw sheep milk cheese was behind a Salmonella outbreak in Italy that affected more than 80 people in 2020, according to a study. In April and May 2020, an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis occurred in the Marche region of Central Italy, involving 85 people. An epidemiological investigation identified the unpasteurized, raw sheep milk pecorino primo sale cheese...

Italy and France have reported updated statistics on a potentially fatal complication of E. coli infection. The complication, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a type of kidney failure that can result in lifelong, serious health problems and death. Italian data is from the start of September 2020 to the end of August 2021 when 49 cases...

Scientists have provided more details about the first documented outbreak of giardiasis in Italy that was linked to tap water, according to recently published research. More than 200 people were affected during several months and two needed hospital treatment for the parasitic infections. Consumption of raw vegetables and fruits was also associated with lower odds...

At least 12 people are sick in Italy with tuna being investigated as the source of their illnesses. The foodborne outbreak is suspected to have been caused by thawed yellowfin tuna steaks with added water from Italy and raw material from Spain. In recent days, nine people with symptoms such as such as nausea, vomiting...

A contaminated meat slicer was behind four Listeria infections in an Italian hospital in late 2020, according to a study. Researchers said it was the first report of an outbreak of listeriosis caused by sequence type (ST) 451 in Italy. Infections involved one immunocompromised and three cancer patients in different units of a hospital in the...

The number of online advertisements found featuring food claiming to prevent or cure coronavirus in Europe has passed 600. The European Commission called on member states to reinforce their vigilance and adapt control activities on online offers and advertising of food related to COVID-19. More than 530 are national cases and 85 are cross-border issues....

A three-year project with 23 partners from 12 countries is going to look at the future of the European food safety system. The effort, dubbed “FOODSAFETY4EU,” will be coordinated by the Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (CNR) in Italy. Work is set to run from the start of 2021 until the end of 2023 with a...

Almost 80 hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) cases were registered between July 2019 and June 2020 in Italy. The 77 patients came from 17 regions in the country while one person contracted HUS while abroad. Notification rates varied by region but were highest in Aosta Valley and higher than 1 case per 100,000 in Basilicata, Calabria,...

Most issues with food and beverages in Italy involved products of animal origin and were microbiological, according to a recent report from authorities. In 2018, almost 50,500 samples of food products were taken from all stages of the supply chain and nearly 130,000 analyzes conducted as part of official controls. From these analytical checks almost...

Scientists have developed a method to detect two types of mycotoxins in wheat products. Researchers from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and CNR-National Council of Italy developed the method based on infrared spectroscopy to find Deoxynivalenol (DON) in wheat bran and Ochratoxin A (OTA) in durum wheat. Research on DON was published in...

Consumption of undercooked pork and sausage has been shown to be the main risk factor for a certain genotype of Hepatitis E in Italy. A rise in hepatitis E cases are being reported in several European countries but the burden of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is largely unknown in Italy. Researchers piloted a strengthened...

The possible presence of a poisonous mushroom variety has prompted a product recall in two countries. Funghi Porcini Secchi Speciali of the Baresa brand is packaged in 30-gram packs with lot number and the expiration date of AS. 30.03.19. The recalled product was exported from Italy and was distributed to Malta for sale in Lidl...

Public Health is currently investigating an outbreak of norovirus-like illness associated with Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant in Bellevue. We are in the early stages of our investigation so information could change. Preliminary information indicates that as many as 50 who attended a private event at the restaurant on 1/18/16 may have come down with norovirus...

An outbreak with at least 240 confirmed cases of the Hepatitis A virus originally thought to be confined to Italy is making a much larger footprint in Europe. There have been 240 cases of individuals who have not visited Italy associated with the outbreak in France, Germany, Ireland, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom....

Children who suffer Salmonella-induced gastroenteritis are more likely to develop irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) later in life, according to a new study released this month in the journal Gastroenterology. Italian researchers collected data from victims of a 1994 culture-proven foodborne Salmonella enteritidis outbreak that involved 1,811 patients in Bolognia, Italy. Study participants included a

The Fargo Catholic Diocese’s new bishop, John Folda, may have exposed hundreds of church members here and in Jamestown to the hepatitis A virus in late September and early October.  The diocese said he contracted the infection through contaminated food while attending a conference for newly ordained bishops in Italy last month. The North Dakota...

I worked with a guy once who taught me that for every problem, there was a quote from Benito Mussolini, Italy’s dictator for 21 long years. My former associate, the Mussolini devotee, would say it in Italian, then in English, and then repeat in Italian as if we could all learn it so quickly. For...

More and more people are being diagnosed – or diagnosing themselves – with gluten intolerance. But a new study out of Italy suggests that more research needs to be done before non-celiacs cut this protein from their diet.      A report published last month in the Annals of Internal Medicine questions the widely accepted...

Lorusso V, Dambrosio A, Quaglia NC, Parisi A, La Salandra G, Lucifora G, Mula G, Virgilio S, Carosielli L, Rella A, Dario M, Normanno G. J Food Prot. 2009 Aug;72(8):1705-8. Department of Health and Animal Welfare–Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Str. Prov. Per Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano, Italy. Escherichia coli 026 is known as a...

Sometimes we think about things in terms of what might make good fiction.   Chapter 1 – A rare strain of Salmonella spread by an early harvest of tomatoes somewhere in Mexico or Florida makes thousands of people sick in the United States. Hundreds if not thousands of state and federal food safety and health officials...

Europeans should avoid eating raw eggs and cook chicken carefully to cut down any risk of contracting bird flu, according to an advisory note expected on Wednesday from the European food safety authority. The precautionary warning comes as the European poultry industry struggles to contain a sharp decline in sales because of consumers’ concerns about...