EFSA identifies alfalfa sprouts as likely source of 2026 Salmonella outbreak

Alfalfa sprouts are at the centre of a multi-country Salmonella outbreak assessment published by the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control on 25 June 2026. The agencies identified alfalfa sprouted seeds as the likely source of Salmonella Bovismorbificans infections reported across Europe and the United Kingdom.

The assessment covers 109 confirmed cases recorded between January and May 2026 in 10 European Union and European Economic Area countries, plus the United Kingdom. Eighteen people required hospital treatment, and one death was reported among the confirmed cases. That does not mean every packet of alfalfa sprouts is contaminated. It does mean that sprouts deserve a more careful check than their fresh, ready-to-eat appearance might suggest.

What the investigation found

EFSA and ECDC point to several lines of evidence rather than a single positive retail sample. Investigators found epidemiological links through interviews with cases in several countries, detected the outbreak strain in water used to produce sprouts in the Netherlands and Northern Ireland, and identified links to a producer in Finland.

Traceability work also identified a common seed supplier. The implicated alfalfa seeds had been imported from India and distributed widely across Europe. The agencies say the seeds may have been contaminated before entering the European market, before they were distributed and sprouted in different countries.

Authorities have withdrawn implicated seed batches, recalled sprouted-seed products and destroyed suspected products. Case numbers decreased after those measures were introduced, but EFSA says further infections cannot be ruled out until the contamination source is fully identified and controlled. On the evidence available for the June announcement, the risk for people who frequently consume sprouted seeds was assessed as low to moderate.

A practical checklist before serving sprouts

Check the official notice first. Before serving packaged sprouts, look at the current food-safety alerts from the authority in the country where you bought them. Compare the product name, batch information and date details with any notice. If a product is named in a recall or withdrawal, follow that notice instead of trying to rinse, trim or cook your way around it.
Read the package instructions. EFSA specifically advises consumers to follow the manufacturer’s instructions when handling and consuming sprouted seeds. That includes storage directions and any instructions about washing or preparation. Do not assume that a long use-by window or a familiar brand makes the instructions unnecessary.
Wash your hands before handling them. Use soap and water before preparing the sprouts, and clean the work surface and utensils that will touch them. The CDC lists cross-contamination from hands, surfaces and other foods as one route by which germs can reach a meal.
Rinse fresh produce carefully. EFSA encourages rinsing fresh produce at home, and the CDC includes rinsing fresh fruits and vegetables among the ways to reduce food-poisoning risk. Use a clean colander and running water, then let the sprouts drain. Rinsing is a hygiene step, not a reason to ignore a recall or treat an implicated product as safe.
Keep ready-to-eat sprouts away from raw ingredients. Prepare meat, poultry, seafood and eggs on a separate board or at a separate stage of the meal. Wash the board and knife before using them for salad ingredients or other foods that will not be cooked. The goal is to stop bacteria from moving from higher-risk raw foods to sprouts and other ready-to-eat ingredients.
Be more cautious when serving vulnerable people. The CDC lists raw or undercooked sprouts among foods more likely to contain harmful germs. It also identifies young children, adults aged 65 and over, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems as more likely to become seriously ill from foodborne germs. For those diners, choose a safer alternative when the meal does not require raw sprouts, and check current advice from the relevant food-safety authority.

What the announcement does not say

The EFSA-ECDC assessment is not a blanket finding that all alfalfa sprouts are unsafe, and it is not a product test of one supermarket or one national market. Its conclusion is about the likely source of a defined outbreak and the control measures taken in the countries involved. Conditions can change as authorities complete traceability work, so a current local recall notice is more useful for a specific packet than a general article or social-media post.

For home cooks, the sensible response is therefore limited and repeatable: check official alerts, follow the package instructions, wash hands and fresh produce, keep sprouts away from raw-food contamination and take extra care when cooking for people at higher risk. Those steps cannot replace an official withdrawal, but they help keep a fresh ingredient from becoming an avoidable link in the chain.

Primary source: European Food Safety Authority and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control outbreak announcement. Practical hygiene reference: CDC Food Safety Basics.