Broccoli has been recalled across Italy after one man was killed and nine people were hospitalised after eating a sandwich at a food truck amid a growing botulism outbreak.
Luigi Di Sarno, 52, died on Thursday after purchasing a broccoli and sausage sandwich from a street vendor on the Diamante seafront in the province of Cosenza. Nine others were hospitalised with similar symptoms after eating the same meal, including several members of Di Sarno's family.
The individuals being treated in Annunziata Hospital in Cosenza include two 17-year-olds and two women in their 40s. Two of the patients were reportedly in a serious condition when they arrived at the intensive care unit.
All exhibit symptoms of botulism, a rare but life-threatening condition caused by toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria.
Following the outbreak in the Cosenza area, the Paola Public Prosecutor's Office has ordered the immediate seizure of a commercial product, understood to be jars of broccoli in oil.
