Salmonella outbreak linked to flavored noodles in Europe

European health officials are warning that a salmonella outbreak linked to flavored instant noodles may continue to sicken people, as recalled products with long shelf lives could still be stored in homes. The outbreak has infected at least 106 people across 14 countries between November 2025 and June 2026, with 49 individuals requiring hospitalization.

The European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control identified flavored instant noodle products from the same brand as the most likely source. Cases have been reported in Austria, Britain, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Sweden. Many of those infected are children and young adults, though investigators have not determined why these age groups are disproportionately affected.

Investigators linked the cases through patient interviews and genomic sequencing, which confirmed the presence of the Salmonella Stanley strain in patients across multiple countries. The same strain was later detected in chicken-flavored and hot chicken-flavored noodle products sampled in Germany and Lithuania. These products were traced to a...