SPS E.Coli contamination of cucumbers in Germany
- 2011: Germans have been warned not to eat cucumbers until tests identify the source of a deadly E.coli outbreak which local officials say has killed 13 people.
- It is thought contaminated cucumbers were imported from Spain, but further tests are being carried out.
- Germany registered 1,200 confirmed or suspected E.coli cases.
- With cases reported in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK, Germany is set to hold crisis talks later.
- In many of the reported cases, the gastrointestinal infection has led to Hemolytic-uremic Syndrome (HUS), which causes kidney problems and is potentially fatal.
Consequences
- On 26 May 2011, German health officials announced that cucumbers from Spain were identified as a source of the E. coli outbreak in Germany and withdrawing them from the market.
- By 1 June both Italian, Austrian, and French cucumber sales had begun to decline sharply.
- On 3 June, the governments of Spain, Portugal and Germany said that they would formally request EU agricultural aid for farmers affected by the outbreak.
- By 7 June, the EU's farmers had reported they had lost millions of dollars in exports during the outbreak. French, Swiss, Bulgarian, German, Dutch, Belgian and Portuguese producers have also been similarly affected.
- Consumers across Europe were shunning fruit and vegetables en masse by 8 June, as the German government's against eating raw cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and sprouts remained on.
- Cucumber samples from Spain did not show E. coli contamination, but a cross-contamination during transport in Germany or distribution in Hamburg are likely; in fact, the most probable cause is cross-contamination inside Germany.