Italy orders broccoli recall after botulism outbreak causes death and hospitalisations

A man has died and nine others were hospitalised in southern Italy after eating broccoli products suspected by health officials to be contaminated with botulism, triggering a nationwide broccoli recall. Botulism is a rare but potentially fatal toxin that attacks the nervous system, leading to muscle paralysis and breathing difficulties. Fifty-two-year-old artist and musician Luigi Di Sarno became critically ill on Thursday while driving his family home from a holiday in Calabria. The family had stopped at a street food van in Diamante, in the Cosenza province, where they all ate the same broccoli and sausage sandwich, suspected to be linked to the outbreak. Near Lagonegro, Potenza, Mr Di Sarno’s condition worsened suddenly, forcing the family to stop in the town of Basilicata. Emergency services rushed to the scene, but he tragically died before reaching the hospital. An autopsy is pending to confirm the cause of death. Nine others, including two women in their 40s and two ...