Key Points

• In 2023, 2,231 outbreaks of foodborne illness were reported in France, affecting 22,282 people, of whom 549 (2%) sought medical care (hospitalization or emergency room visits) and 19 (0.1%) died.

• The number of reported foodborne illness outbreaks in 2023 is the highest recorded since surveillance began in 1987. It surpassed the previous record set in 2022 (1,924 reported outbreaks).

• As in previous years, the most frequently confirmed pathogen was Salmonella, accounting for 31% of foodborne illness cases with a confirmed pathogen (42% in 2022). The pathogens most commonly suspected based on epidemiological and clinical information, but not confirmed microbiologically, were the toxin-producing bacteria Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridium perfringens, accounting for 70% of foodborne illness cases for which a pathogen was suspected (73% in 2022). For 12% of reported foodborne illnesses, no pathogen could be identified or suspected based on epidemiological and clinical information (15% in 2022).

• In 2023, 597 corrective measures were taken (staff information/training, facility disinfection, requests for repairs, facility closures, and food seizures) following foodborne illnesses occurring in institutional or commercial food service settings (accounting for 45% of all such foodborne illnesses).