By Letara Draghia
At least 162 people have fallen ill and 22 were hospitalised following a suspected Salmonella outbreak at the Trasan Fest music and food festival in Oza-Cesuras, A Coru帽a, held on June 27 and 28.
Galician health officials believe the outbreak may be linked to Spanish tortillas sold from a food stall during the event, which took place during a heatwave.
Health officials investigate tortilla link to Salmonella outbreak
According to El Pa铆s, Galicia鈥檚 Health Department raised the number of affected people to 162 on Tuesday, July 1, up from 94 cases confirmed just the day before. Three people have already tested positive for Salmonella, and 22 remain hospitalised, though none are in serious condition. Some cases have also been reported outside Galicia, including in Madrid and Asturias.
Investigators from the Xunta鈥檚 General Directorate of Public Health are focusing on tortillas 鈥 typically made with slightly runny eggs and potatoes 鈥 as a possible source of contamination. Food stalls operating during the festival are now under scrutiny.
The event, advertised as an 鈥渋mmersive experience鈥 with yoga, art workshops, tarot, and live music in a mountain setting, hosted just over 1,000 attendees. Some of the sickened include artists who participated in the weekend celebration.
In a statement cited by Food Safety News, festival organisers said:
鈥淲e are collaborating with the authorities to locate the source of the incident, likely linked to a raw material supplied by one of our suppliers.鈥
They have provided a contact number and email for anyone with concerns: infotrasanfest@gmail.com and +34 608 933 236.
Consumer group demands stricter food checks
Consumer rights group FACUA Galicia has urged the regional government to increase inspections of food trucks and mobile vendors at festivals and cultural events across the region. They emphasised the legal right of affected individuals to seek compensation, provided they have medical documentation proving the illness and its link to food consumed at the event.
In a public statement, FACUA called for immediate reforms to avoid future outbreaks, stating such events put the public at risk when food handling is not tightly regulated.
Salmonella remains a top food safety threat in Spain
According to Food Safety News, in 2023, Salmonella was the most commonly identified cause of foodborne outbreaks in Spain, with 350 recorded incidents affecting 2,747 people, including 356 hospitalisations and four deaths. The largest outbreak that year affected 159 people, now surpassed by the Trasan Fest incident. Many of these outbreaks were linked to eggs or egg-based products.
With heatwaves becoming more common in Spain, are mobile food sellers prepared to safely serve perishable dishes like tortillas? Should festival organisers be held accountable, or suppliers? Share your thoughts below.
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