Belgium reports 306 salmonella cases linked to contaminated eggs

At least 306 people in Belgium have fallen ill after consuming eggs contaminated with salmonella, the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) said on Tuesday, according to The Brussels Times.

The outbreak was traced to egg producer Laerco in Geel, with authorities blocking the entire poultry farm.

As a precaution, eggs from the producer are also being recalled in eight other European countries, including the Netherlands, France, Italy and Portugal, FASFC spokesperson Helene Bonte said.

Salmonella was first detected at the site in late April, prompting a large-scale recall in May covering all eggs from the company's Geel facility.

Authorities initially believed the contamination was limited to one of the farm's four sheds.

However, further testing detected contamination in a second shed after the number of newly reported cases failed to decline as expected.

The eggs were distributed through several supermarket chains, including Aldi and Carrefour.

Consumers have been urged not to eat the recalled eggs and to return them to the stores where they were purchased for a refund.