Nearly 2 million people are estimated to have fallen ill from a foodborne infection in the Netherlands in 2024 – an increase of more than 100,000 people compared to 2023. These findings are from the new annual report about foodborne infections. The Salmonella enteritidis bacteria was a significant culprit, causing far more cases than before. There was a corresponding increase in the number of poultry farms where salmonella was found. RIVM therefore advises taking additional measures to reduce the number of chickens with salmonella.
Additional measures
More and more chickens have been infected with salmonella. This also leads to more cases of salmonella infection in humans. The annual report shows that the number of people who fell ill due to Salmonella enteritidis was higher in 2024 than in 2015–2019, in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2025, RIVM sent a letter outlining related concerns to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) and to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS). In the letter, RIVM advises reducing the number of salmonella infections in chickens by instituting additional measures:
- Test chicken farms for salmonella more frequently (e.g. every eight weeks);
- Share and investigate all test data more effectively;
- Ask farmers to remove infected chickens more quickly;
- Conduct a study on the differences between the Netherlands and other European countries in this context.
E. coli, hepatitis A and norovirus also found more often
In 2024, there was also an increase in people who fell ill from E. coli bacteria and the hepatitis A virus. Cases of norovirus were also more common – probably because people had less resistance in response to a new norovirus variant.
Higher burden of disease and higher costs
People who contract a foodborne infection often have diarrhoea, vomiting or stomach pain. Sometimes people may develop more serious illness, such as liver infection or meningitis. The burden of disease due to foodborne infections was higher in 2024 than in the year before that. This means that people had more symptoms and were sometimes ill for longer periods. The total cost of these illnesses was 566 million euros, an increase of 13,000 million compared to 2023.
Salmonella prevention
Salmonella may be present in chicken, but is usually found on eggshells and is very contagious. You can reduce the risk of infection by:
- Cook chicken all the way through.
- Boil or fry eggs until completely cooked.
- Wash your hands after touching uncooked eggs.
These tips are especially important for people who are in poor health. Read more about measures to prevent foodborne infections.
Working together on safer food
RIVM partners with the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Authority (NVWA) and Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR) to track how many people become ill from food. They also monitor outbreaks of foodborne infections and the impacts of these diseases.