Flavored noodles linked to more than 100 salmonella infections in Europe

Outbreak totals

European health and food safety officials say a cross-border salmonella outbreak linked to flavored instant noodle products has sickened 106 people across 14 European countries since November, with at least 49 people hospitalized.

The European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said flavored noodle products are the most likely source of the ongoing outbreak. The strain identified is Salmonella Stanley.

Officials said the first cases were reported in November, and the cluster was later recognized as a multi-country outbreak after cases were identified across the continent.

Where the cases are

The outbreak spans Austria, Britain, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden.

AP reported that the patients are mostly children and young adults, highlighting the outbreak’s impact on younger consumers.

The confirmed count and geographic spread make this one of the more significant food-safety investigations currently underway in Europe, with authorities still tracing how the contamination entered the supply chain.

How investigators linked the noodles

According to AP’s reporting on the official update, microbiological evidence linked the outbreak strain to chicken-flavored and hot-chicken-flavored noodle products found in Germany and Lithuania.

That evidence points investigators toward instant noodles produced in Ukraine and sold under the Reeva brand through Euro Food Service.

Reeva Foods said it detected Salmonella Stanley in a batch distributed in the Baltic market, withdrew affected batches, launched an internal investigation and said it is cooperating with authorities.

Officials have not said exactly where in the manufacturing or distribution chain the contamination occurred, and they have not closed the investigation.

Why it matters

The outbreak has public-health significance because it crosses borders, has already led to a large number of hospitalizations and involves a widely distributed food product.

Food-safety officials are still watching for additional cases, and the current count may rise if more patients are identified or if more countries report matching infections.

The episode also serves as a reminder that instant noodles still need to be prepared according to package instructions, and consumers should pay attention to recalls or product withdrawal notices.

What happens next

Investigators are expected to keep tracing the contamination point, checking for any additional affected lots and monitoring whether more countries report cases tied to the same strain.

The main unresolved question is how Salmonella Stanley entered the supply chain and at what stage it spread to the noodle products.

For now, European agencies say the noodle products are the most likely source, but the outbreak remains under active investigation.