Authorities have extended restrictions to the entire affected farm and ordered a second recall. The eggs were also reported as having been distributed to other European countries, including Italy.
At least 306 cases of salmonellosis reported in Belgium have been linked to eggs marketed by Laerco BV, a company based in Geel, Flanders. According to Belgium’s Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC), the same strain of Salmonella Enteritidis found at the farm was identified in those who tested positive.
The actual number of infections could be higher, as cases involving mild or no symptoms may remain undiagnosed. As of August 25, no deaths associated with the outbreak had been reported. A FASFC spokesperson told Reuters that Belgium had not previously recorded a salmonellosis cluster of this scale.
An initial egg recall was issued in May, with restrictions first applied to a poultry house on the farm.
The number of new cases did not decline as quickly as expected. Further sampling detected the bacterium in a second poultry house, prompting the authorities to extend the restrictions to the entire farm.
On August 10, Laerco BV, in coordination with FASFC, announced a further withdrawal from the market and consumer recall. The measure covers eggs from barn production systems bearing the shell codes 2-BE-1073-01, 2-BE-1073-02, 2-BE-1073-03 and 2-BE-1073-04.
FASFC advised consumers not to eat eggs carrying these codes and to return them to the point of purchase. According to Reuters, the entire farm was closed and the birds were culled following the second recall.
According to Food Safety News, which referred to a notification submitted through the European Union’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), the eggs were also distributed to Luxembourg, France, the Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands. The information currently available does not establish whether the products reached consumers in each of these countries.
Reuters reported that as many as two million potentially contaminated eggs may have been marketed in Belgium and Luxembourg. FASFC warned that some of the eggs could still remain in consumers’ homes despite the recalls.
Salmonellosis commonly causes diarrhoea, fever and abdominal cramps, sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Young children, older people and those with weakened immune systems are at greater risk of developing severe illness. Eggs covered by the recall should not be consumed, including in preparations that will be cooked.
Sources: FASFC – Laerco BV egg recall, August 10, 2026; Reuters – Record salmonella outbreak in Belgium infects at least 306; Food Safety News – Belgian Salmonella outbreak climbs to 300 cases
