More than 600 people have fallen sick across three Salmonella Enteritidis outbreaks in the United Kingdom, and two have died — with investigators now focusing on imported eggs served by foodservice operators.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Food Standards Agency (FSA), and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are investigating the clusters, which have sickened 622 people to date. The epidemiological picture points toward one shared exposure: imported eggs, eaten at small cafés, restaurants and takeaways.

That detail matters for operators. This isn't a retail recall story. It's a foodservice sourcing story.

What do the interviews show?

UKHSA investigators have interviewed more than 170 ill people. Of those, 143 reported eating food prepared outside the home in the week before symptoms appeared. Investigations have linked 47 cases to 11 businesses, and at least 24 infected people ate dishes containing eggs.

The eggs came from multiple sources, but two large importers are being investigated further. Targeted sampling is ongoing, though officials warn many samples will be needed before they can be confident in results. Defra's UK Office for SPS and Trade Assurance, which oversees market access arrangements for imported food, is part of the picture.

For restaurants and takeaways running on imported egg supplies — particularly smaller independents without corporate supply-chain assurance — the practical question is whether their current importer sits inside the investigation's footprint. No product recall has been announced. That could change as sampling progresses.

How big is each cluster?

The first and largest cluster has 391 confirmed cases and one death, with sample dates from Aug. 11, 2025 to Sept. 8, 2026. England logged 132 of those infections in the past month alone. Patients range from under 1 to 90 years old, median age 30. Of 173 cases with known outcomes, 45 were admitted to hospital.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is also monitoring this sequence type 11 cluster, which has hospitalized at least 34 people in Europe.

The second cluster counts 189 cases in England, with samples spanning May 27, 2025 to Sept. 2, 2026. Patients run from under 1 to 92 years old, median 29. Of 52 patients with available information, 24 needed hospital care.

The third cluster has 42 cases and one death, with sample dates from Jan. 27 to Aug. 24, 2026. Median age is 32, and seven people have been hospitalized.

What about the devolved nations?

Scotland has 15 confirmed cases — 14 in the first cluster and one in the third — with samples dated April 1 to Aug. 14, 2026. Patients there range from 2 to 78 years old, median 36, and 10 are female. Several reported bloody diarrhea, though none were hospitalized because of salmonellosis. Two additional Scottish cases from 2025 fall in the second cluster.

Wales has 10 cases in the first cluster and two in the second. One first-cluster patient lives in Northern Ireland. Two further illnesses are in either Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man.

Is mainland Europe affected?

Yes. In July, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM) restarted an investigation into a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that began in spring 2025. The Netherlands has 111 patients, 31 of them in 2026, including 10 in June and eight in July. Only seven patient questionnaires have reached RIVM so far, and the agency says it's too early to draw conclusions about a source.

Sick people have also been reported in Belgium, Austria, Denmark, France and Germany.

A separate Listeria consultation

On a separate track, the FSA is seeking views on revised listeriosis guidance for health and social care settings in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. The consultation is open until Dec. 16, 2026.

The proposed changes would clarify legal obligations for food businesses operating within health and social care settings, update the Listeria risky foods list, and refresh legislative references. New sections cover registration of food companies operating within care settings, food safety culture, and incidents in the care sector.

With sampling still underway and hospitalization rates near one in four where data exists, operators sourcing imported eggs should expect continued scrutiny of their supply chains until the two importers under investigation are cleared — or named.