An outbreak of suspected botulism in southern Italy has left two people dead and more than a dozen others hospitalized after they reportedly consumed contaminated sausage-and-turnip-green sandwiches.
The incident occurred in Calabria, near the coastal town of Diamante, where the sandwiches—known locally as panini—were allegedly purchased from a food truck. Authorities say the fillings included grilled sausages and cime di rapa (turnip tops), a seasonal Italian vegetable similar to broccoli rabe.
The victims have been identified as 52-year-old artist Luigi di Sarno and 45-year-old Tamara D’Acunto. Autopsies are expected to be carried out later this week. Fourteen others, including two teenagers, also fell ill and were treated in hospitals in the Cosenza area. Symptoms appeared within 24 to 48 hours of eating the sandwiches.
Police are now investigating nine people, among them the food truck owner, three employees of the sandwich supplier, and five doctors accused of failing to make a prompt diagnosis. According to Di Sarno’s sister, he was discharged from hospital despite feeling unwell and died shortly afterward.
Botulism is a rare but potentially fatal illness caused by a nerve-attacking toxin, often linked to improperly preserved foods such as canned goods or items stored in oil. It can lead to paralysis, respiratory failure, and death. Enrico Di Rosa, head of the Italian Society of Workplace Hygiene, stressed its severity: “Even a minuscule quantity is enough to cause serious harm, as we have seen here.”
Authorities have ordered a nationwide recall of the implicated panini, seized the food truck, and are analyzing its remaining products. Investigators believe the turnip greens may have been preserved in olive oil in glass containers before use.
The truck’s 33-year-old owner, Giuseppe Santonocito, described as “psychologically devastated” by his lawyer Francesco Liserre, insists the contamination must have originated in the ingredients he purchased. He claims to have receipts showing he bought the products in late July and that each jar’s contents were used quickly, typically within six or seven sandwiches.
This marks Italy’s second fatal botulism case in a matter of weeks. In late July, a 38-year-old woman died in Sardinia after eating contaminated guacamole at a festival, an incident that also hospitalized seven others.
Following these incidents, Italy’s Ministry of Health announced that national prevention and emergency protocols had been activated. The ministry emphasized that patients in both outbreaks were given rapid access to life-saving antitoxin treatment.
