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This is a list of foodborne illness outbreaks by death toll, caused by infectious disease, heavy metals, chemical contamination, or from natural toxins, such as those found in poisonous mushrooms. Before modern microbiology, foodborne illness was not understood, and, from the mid 1800s to early-mid 1900s, was perceived as ptomaine poisoning, caused by a fundamental flaw in understanding how it worked. While the medical establishment ditched ptomaine theory by the 1930s, it remained in the public consciousness until the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Outside of botulism (which has been well known since the early 1900s and killed often at the time), many other foodborne illnesses such as salmonellosis were not monitored closely or kept careful track of until at least the late 1970s, with overall monitoring only fully taking off after the 1992–1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak.

Outbreaks caused by infectious agents

Year Event Agent Food Company Infected Deaths Notes
2017–2018 2017–18 South African listeriosis outbreak Listeria processed meat Enterprise Foods 1,060[1] 216[1] A widespread listeriosis outbreak from contaminated deli meats from Enterprise Foods, a subsidiary of Tiger Brands. It is the world’s worst listeriosis outbreak.
c.1970-1996 vCJD/HSBE in British beef prions beef nationwide beef producers 178 178 Believed to have been caused by supplementing cattle feed with meat and bone meal. Resulted in the slaughter of over four million cattle, and a 10 year ban on exports of British beef.
2011 2011 Germany E. coli O104:H4 outbreak E. coli O104:H4 fenugreek sprouts[2] >3,950[3] 53[4] Deadliest bacterial foodborne outbreak in Europe. Deadliest E. coli outbreak on record.
1985 1985 California listeriosis outbreak in cheese Listeria queso fresco Jalisco Cheese >86[5] 47 or 52[6] Deadliest bacterial foodborne outbreak in US.[6][7]
2011 2011 United States listeriosis outbreak in cantaloupes Listeria cantaloupe[6] Jensen Farms 146 30[8] Second deadliest bacterial foodborne outbreak in US. Second deadliest listeriosis outbreak.
2008 2008 Canada listeriosis outbreak Listeria cold cuts Maple Leaf Foods[9] >50 22[10] Deadliest foodborne outbreak in Canada.
1996 1996 Wishaw (Scotland) E. coli outbreak E. coli O157 meat John Barr 496 21 At the time the world’s deadliest outbreak of E. coli poisoning. Butchers John M. Barr & Son provided cooked meat products to several events including a birthday party and a pensioners’ luncheon club. The source of the contamination was traced to a boiler used for cooking joints and stew, and a vacuum packing machine used for cooked and raw meats.[11] Deadliest outbreak of the 0157 strain.[12]
1998 1998 United States listeriosis outbreak Listeria cold cuts and hot dogs Bil Mar Foods >100 18 or 21[6][13]
2008–2009 2008–2009 Chile listeriosis outbreak Listeria cecina, sausages, cheese and other dairy products Doñihue Limitada 164[14] 16[14]
2014 2013–2014 Danish listeriosis outbreak Listeria spiced lamb roll, pork, sausages, bacon, liver pâté, etc.[15] Jørn A. Rullepølser > 37 15[16]
2024 2023-2024 North American salmonellosis outbreak in cantaloupe Salmonella cantaloupe Malchita 597 15 Caused by Salmonella serovars Sundsvall and Oranienburg.[17]
1985 1985 United States salmonellosis outbreak in milk Salmonella milk Hillfarm Dairy 5,295[18] 9[18] Caused by Salmonella serovar Typhimurium.
2008 2008 United States salmonellosis outbreak in peanuts Salmonella peanuts Peanut Corporation of America >200 9 Largest foodborne Salmonella outbreak in peanut butter. One of the largest food recalls in United States history.[19]
2002 2002 United States listeriosis outbreak in poultry Listeria poultry Pilgrim’s Pride >50[20] 8[20]
2015–present[21][timeframe?] European listeriosis outbreak (2015–present) Listeria[21] frozen corn suspected[21] Hungarian supplier
→Hungarian processing company
→Polish storage service
→Polish packer[21] 		32[21] 6[21] As of 8 March 2018, the ongoing outbreak has affected five European Union countries:
  • Austria: 2 confirmed cases (1 fatal)
  • Denmark: 4 confirmed cases (1 fatal)
  • Finland: 14 confirmed cases (2 fatal)
  • Sweden: 6 confirmed cases (2 fatal)
  • United Kingdom: 6 confirmed cases (no fatalities)

[21][needs update]

1992–1993 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak E. coli O157:H7 undercooked hamburgers Jack in the Box >700[20] 4[20] First deadly foodborne E. coli O157:H7 outbreak.
2003 2003 Chi-Chi’s hepatitis A outbreak Hepatitis A virus green onions 555[22] 3[22] Largest foodborne hepatitis outbreak.
2006 2006 North American E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in spinach E. coli O157:H7 spinach Dole Foods[20] >205[20] 3 [23]
2024 2024 Canadian listeriosis outbreak Listeria nut milk Silk and Great Value 20[24] 3[24] Listeria contamination in various nut milk products led to at least 20 cases of listeriosis, including 3 deaths in Ontario between August 2023 and July 2024.
1963 1963 botulism case from canned tuna Botulinum toxin canned tuna A&P 2 [25]
1922 1922 Loch Maree botulism outbreak[26] Botulinum toxin duck paste Lazenby’s 8 8 Six guests and two staff members at the Loch Maree Hotel in Scotland were fatally poisoned by sandwiches made with duck paste contaminated with botulinum toxin. This was the first incident in the UK in which botulism was conclusively identified as the cause and remains the only large incident of microbial food contamination in the UK with 100% reported fatalities.
1971 1971 botulism case from Bon Vivant soup Botulinum toxin vichyssoise soup Bon Vivant Company 2[27] 1[27]
1996 1996 Odwalla E. coli outbreak E. coli O157:H7 unpasteurized apple juice Odwalla 66[28] 1[29] Unpasteurized juice sold for the health market. Rotten apples used when safety officer was overruled.[29]
2005 2005 South Wales E. coli O157 outbreak E. coli O157 meat local butcher 157[30] 1[30] Largest E. coli outbreak in Wales.[30] Second largest E. coli outbreak in UK.[30]
2017 2017 Valley Oak Nacho Cheese botulism outbreak Botulinum toxin nacho cheese gas station 10 1 A poorly maintained nacho cheese machine lead to the contamination of the cheese and the sicking of 10 people with botulism, one of whom later died.[31]
1994 Salmonella in ice cream Salmonella ice cream Schwan’s Sales Enterprises 224,000 0 An estimated 224,000 people across the United States suffered from gastroenteritis caused by Salmonella serovar Enteritidis after eating Schwan’s ice cream when raw, unpasteurized eggs were hauled in a tanker truck that later carried pasteurized ice cream to the Schwan’s plant, and the ice cream premix was not pasteurized after delivery to the plant.[32]

Outbreaks caused by chemical contamination

Year Event Food Contaminant Location Affected Deaths Notes
1971 1971 Iraq poison grain disaster wheat, barley methylmercury Iraq >650 650 Seeds treated with methylmercury as a fungicide for planting were used as food
1981 1981 Spain rapeseed oil toxicity rapeseed oil possibly aniline Spain ~25,000 600 Industrial oil sold as food oil.[33]
1955 Morinaga milk arsenic poisoning [ja][34][35] powdered milk arsenic Japan 13,389 >600 By mistake, an industrial grade Monosodium phosphate was added to milk produced by Morinaga Milk Industry, which contained an impurity of 5–8% arsenic. The milk powder was used for feeding infants, and many babies were poisoned. By 1981, there were still >6,000 people affected as adults with severe intellectual disabilities and other health effects; and by 2006, >600 adults remained affected.
1900 1900 English beer poisoning beer arsenic England >6,000 >70 Arsenic was introduced into beer via contaminated sugar. Outbreak made worse by mass-misdiagnosis of the victims’ illnesses.
1942 1942 Oregon State Hospital poisoning scrambled eggs sodium fluoride United States 467 47 Instead of powdered milk, sodium fluoride, a poison to kill cockroaches, had been accidentally used in the cooking process
2005 Mabini food poisoning incident[36] fritters carbamate Philippines ~100 28 Pesticide ingredient was believed to have been inadvertently mixed with cassava flour used in making the snacks which were then sold to schoolchildren
1858 1858 Bradford sweets poisoning candy arsenic trioxide England ~200 20 Arsenic was accidentally sold as “daft”. Daft was a standard adulterant to bulk up the candy
2008 2008 Chinese milk scandal milk melamine and urea China >300,000 6 Milk diluted with water then melamine added to fool the test for protein content
(c)1930 “Jake leg” affair Jamaica ginger tricresyl phosphate USA ~40,000 0 Tricresyl phosphate, at the time thought to be non-toxic, was used to adulterate ginger extract made by Hub Product Corp., sold as a patent medicine and drunk for its high alcohol content. Thousands of people suffered permanent peripheral nerve damage, causing a loss of manual dexterity and a peculiar gait known as “Jake leg”

See also

References

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  2. ^ William Neuman (June 10, 2011). “The Poster Plant of Health Food Can Pack Disease Risks”. New York Times. Archived from the original on 2013-05-01. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
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  4. ^ European Food Safety Authority (July 11, 2012). “E.coli: Rapid response in a crisis”. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  5. ^ “Epidemiologic Notes and Reports Listeriosis Outbreak Associated with Mexican-Style Cheese — California”. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. June 21, 1985. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
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  23. ^ Libby Sander (October 13, 2006). “Source of Deadly E. Coli Is Found”. New York Times. Archived from the original on 2013-05-01. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  24. ^ a b “Public Health Notice: Outbreak of Listeria infections linked to recalled plant-based refrigerated beverages”. August 12, 2024.
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  35. ^ “Chapter – 3 The arsenic milk poisoning incident”. archive.unu.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
  36. ^ “DOH: Bohol poisoning due to pesticide, not cyanide”. Philstar.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.