Listeria outbreak in cheese kills two in France, spreads to Belgium
The contamination is believed to be linked to cheese from the Chavegrand factory, located in Creuse, in central France.
On Tuesday, all cheese produced there before 23 June and distributed until 9 August was recalled from French supermarkets, according to the French Agriculture Ministry.
Listeria typically causes symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and fever, but it can be potentially life-threatening, particularly for vulnerable groups.
The affected batches, sold under various brands in France and abroad, include products such as camembert, brie, gorgonzola and goat cheese, mainly from the brands Le Berger, Le Lion un fromage royal, Saveur d'antan and Le Petit Grignoteur, Le Monde reported.
'Anyone in possession of these products is asked not to consume them', said the French ministry.
A first product recall by Chavegrand due to the detection of listeria had already taken place on 12 June, the ministry told reporters on Wednesday. But subsequent checks found no contamination in the month following the alert, allowing production to continue.
Belgium's food safety authorities confirmed on Wednesday that one person had been infected with the same strain of bacteria responsible for deaths in France but cautioned that such contamination isn't unusual.
'Bacteria are part of our environment and can therefore end up in our food', Hélène Bonte of the Belgian Federal Food Safety Agency (FAVV) told the Flemish media VRT News, adding that food companies regularly carry out checks to keep risk as low as possible.
Bonte explained that this is not the first listeria infection in Belgium this year – citing 62 cases – but only the first linked to French cheeses. The affected batches were sold at Colruyt, Okay and Comarkt supermarkets and are now being removed from the shelves.
(msa, jp)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euractiv
4 days ago
- Euractiv
Listeria outbreak in cheese kills two in France, spreads to Belgium
A listeria outbreak linked to cheese has killed two in France and infected at least 21 others, the French Agriculture Ministry said this week, with Belgium also reporting an outbreak. The contamination is believed to be linked to cheese from the Chavegrand factory, located in Creuse, in central France. On Tuesday, all cheese produced there before 23 June and distributed until 9 August was recalled from French supermarkets, according to the French Agriculture Ministry. Listeria typically causes symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and fever, but it can be potentially life-threatening, particularly for vulnerable groups. The affected batches, sold under various brands in France and abroad, include products such as camembert, brie, gorgonzola and goat cheese, mainly from the brands Le Berger, Le Lion un fromage royal, Saveur d'antan and Le Petit Grignoteur, Le Monde reported. 'Anyone in possession of these products is asked not to consume them', said the French ministry. A first product recall by Chavegrand due to the detection of listeria had already taken place on 12 June, the ministry told reporters on Wednesday. But subsequent checks found no contamination in the month following the alert, allowing production to continue. Belgium's food safety authorities confirmed on Wednesday that one person had been infected with the same strain of bacteria responsible for deaths in France but cautioned that such contamination isn't unusual. 'Bacteria are part of our environment and can therefore end up in our food', Hélène Bonte of the Belgian Federal Food Safety Agency (FAVV) told the Flemish media VRT News, adding that food companies regularly carry out checks to keep risk as low as possible. Bonte explained that this is not the first listeria infection in Belgium this year – citing 62 cases – but only the first linked to French cheeses. The affected batches were sold at Colruyt, Okay and Comarkt supermarkets and are now being removed from the shelves. (msa, jp)
Euractiv
4 days ago
- Euractiv
As the EU heats up, minds start to crack
Each month is seemingly "the hottest ever recorded", extreme weather events are frequent, and there's a general feeling that weather-as-we-know-it is no more. While this severely impacts peoples' mental health, the EU's political response is slow at best. The operators of the Brussels Mental Health emergency helpline can tell when a heatwave has arrived: 'You can feel the topic coming through when people talk to us, there's something there.' While heat is not the only reason why people call, "it's one of the reasons", an operator told Euractiv. Europe is currently the fastest-warming continent. Between 2015 and 2024, average temperatures rose by around 2.2 degrees compared to the pre-industrial era. Climate experts, too, are seeing links between heat and mental health struggles. Over the past few years, there have been repeated warnings about the strong 'negative effect' of heatwaves on mental health. Reports and studies show that heatwaves lead to a rise in hospitalisations of people with mental disorders, an increase in emergency psychiatric visits and mental health helpline calls, as well as a rise in suicide rates. In addition, people with mental health conditions are three times more likely to die during a heatwave. "People with mental and behavioural disorders – such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or developmental disorders – are at higher risk of a deterioration in their health," WHO Programme Manager Dorota Jarosinska confirmed to Euractiv. But besides heat, climate change also brings with it a novel way to challenge mental health, namely climate anxiety: The fear linked to uncertainty about the future caused by climate change. For the first time this year, the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME) measured climate anxiety – and found 10.5 million citizens affected. That's around 15% of France's population. While climate change is majorly influencing all life across the continent, those struggling with poor mental health – 84 out of 450 million EU citizens – are disproportionally affected. And those numbers don't account for climate anxiety just yet. A slow political response NGOs have demanded from politicians to do more and take psychological challenges of climate adaptation into account. "Europe needs a climate adaptation strategy that is also deeply human and social. Protecting Europeans' health is part of that, and their mental health is a vital component,' French socialist MEP Christophe Clergeau said. "It is essential to adopt a 'mental health in all policies' approach," the Brussels-based NGO Mental Health Europe completed, adding that social affairs, housing, and climate issues are often interconnected. Studies show that overcrowded housing, lack of air conditioning, as well as a lack of green spaces in combination with heatwaves increase tension and frustration, even leading to a rise in crime. Heatwaves are, in general, also correlated with an increase in aggressive behaviours and recorded domestic violence cases. However, no member of the European Parliament's housing committee was able to say whether the connection between mental health, heatwaves, and housing would be part of upcoming legislative work, when asked. On a European level, few resources are available to tackle the effects of heatwaves on mental health. The European Commission – considering mental health to be on an equal footing with physical health – is allocating €1.23 billion to mental health through around 20 initiatives, but none links mental health and climate change. In 2021, the Commission launched the European Climate and Health Observatory that – attached to the European Environment Agency – is supposed to "help the EU prepare for and adapt to the effects of climate change". But several sources have indicated to Euractiv that the Observatory's resources to work on the interlinking between climate and mental health are scarce. Action planned, rollout passive As health isn't an EU competence, the main responsibility to put measures in place lies with EU countries. But they may rely on other resources. The WHO, for example, has published its first heat guidelines in 2008. Those plans aim to strengthen preparedness, response, and risk monitoring linked to heat. Besides the recommendation to have a designated national body to coordinate the heat action plan, it includes the establishment of early warning systems, surveillance and monitoring mechanisms as well as the implementation of risk communication related to heat, and the preparation of health and social services. However, last year only 21 of the 38 European countries the WHO monitors had such a plan. In May 2026, the organisation will publish a new edition of the guidelines – which will, according to the WHO, be partly funded by the European Commission. While concrete action takes time, there seems to be a sense of awareness that current efforts need to be upped. Last October, the Hungarian EU Council Presidency and WHO/Europe organised a high-level political dialogue on the mental health impact of the triple planetary crisis – climate change, environmental pollution, and biodiversity loss. "On average, only 2% of public health expenditure is allocated to mental health... climate change will not improve any of these figures," said Alessandro Massazza, policy advisor for the NGO United for Global Health, during the event. "It will lead to an even greater burden on mental health", he concluded. (bms, vib, cs)
Euractiv
01-08-2025
- Euractiv
France says it can't stop destruction of US contraceptives
France says it has no authority over the fate of a large, still-usable stockpile of USAID-funded contraceptives that are set to be destroyed on French soil. In a statement to AFP on Friday, the French health ministry said it had 'no means to requisition' the contraceptives, which belong to USAID, the US international aid agency. 'Since contraceptives are not considered essential medicines and this is not a case of supply shortages, we have no means to requisition the stock', the ministry said. On 23 July, press reports revealed that the US administration planned to destroy a stockpile of contraceptives worth an estimated €10 million, which had been stored in Geel, Belgium. The products are now being transported to France for incineration by specialist waste companies. The contraceptives were part of USAID's global reproductive health programmes, which were drastically scaled back after the Trump administration cut the agency's operational budget earlier this year. Consequently, many of its aid activities, including the distribution of contraceptives, have ceased to function, rendering its role in this field largely defunct, according to NGOs familiar with the matter. Calls to stop the incineration On Thursday, Sarah Durocher, president of France's Family Planning Association, said that part of the stockpile may already have left Belgium. 'We were informed 36 hours ago that the removal of these boxes of contraceptives had begun', she said on Thursday. Durocher has called on incineration companies to refuse to destroy the stock and 'to oppose this senseless decision.' Several NGOs have tried in recent weeks to negotiate with the US government to purchase or repurpose the contraceptives, some of which remain usable until 2031. "We were informed by the US administration that our offer had been rejected, and we learned then that the government had decided to destroy the products - meaning that offers from our partners were also declined", International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) told Euractiv. The cost of incinerating the contraceptives is estimated at €150,000, a price the US government appears willing to pay rather than opt for donation or resale. "We've been aware of these stockpiles since April and have worked tirelessly to find a solution and negotiate with the US, but our efforts have been blocked at every turn. This leads us to believe that the decision is not about money, but is instead driven by an extreme ideological stance. It's about power and control", IPPF added. The French delegation of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament has called on the European Commission to intervene and prevent the destruction, questioning its legality under EU treaties and legislation. While the Commission confirmed that it had taken note of the letter and was monitoring the situation, it did not answer Euractiv's question on whether it would intervene in this case. The European Commission should be more outspoken about the senseless destruction of life-saving contraceptive supplies", IPPF concluded. (bms, de)
