Zoonoses monitoring: Salmonella detected in sesame products

by | Dec 4, 2025 | Health

The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) warns of a risk of infection from salmonella in sesame products. The 2024 zoonoses monitoring showed that two percent of 354 samples from the retail sector examined were contaminated.

Products such as tahini and halva are affected, which are often consumed without heating, which does not kill salmonella. In the past, sesame products have repeatedly caused salmonellosis outbreaks. Especially small children, the elderly, immunocompromised people and pregnant women should avoid raw sesame products.

Color-enhanced scanning electron microscope image showing Salmonella Typhimurium (red) entering cultured human cells. Source: Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, NIH All images, except those specifically marked by the World Health Organization (WHO), are in the public domain. Images in the public domain have no copyright, no permission is required, and their use is free of charge
Color-enhanced scanning electron microscope image showing Salmonella Typhimurium (red) entering cultured human cells. Source: Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, NIH All images, except those specifically marked by the World Health Organization (WHO), are in the public domain. Images in the public domain have no copyright, no permission is required, and their use is free of charge

The contamination can be caused by contaminated irrigation water, organic fertilization or animal excrement in fields. The BVL emphasizes the need for strict hygiene during cultivation, harvesting and processing as well as careful quality controls. The 2024 zoonoses monitoring included 6,028 samples along the food chain, from which 4,638 bacterial isolates were analysed. The full report is available at www.bvl.bund.de/ZoonosenMonitoring. Consumer tips on food hygiene can be found at www.bvl.bund.de/lebensmittelhygiene.

Read more:

BVL – Zoonoses Monitoring


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