162 fall ill following salmonella outbreak at festival
Salmonella is one of the most common causes of food poisoning, alongside other bacteria including E. coli and listeria.
If you ingest food with active salmonella on it, you’ll typically come down with nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, and stomach cramps, potentially along with a fever. You’ll likely also become dehydrated if you don’t replenish those lost fluids and electrolytes quickly, with dehydration symptoms including headaches, cramps, and disorientation compounding the nastiness.
In the summer months, we’re more likely to get food poisoning as the climate becomes more bacteria-friendly and we spend more time eating outdoors, leaving buffet food in the sun, and perhaps skipping out on some hygiene practices.
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Unfortunately for over 160 music fans in Spain, the realities of summertime salmonella have struck.
Those reported sick from the salmonella outbreak are all believed to have eaten food at the Trasan Fest between 27 and 28 June 2025 in Oza-Cesuras, Spain. 22 of those have thus far been admitted to hospital.
As a result, the General Directorate of Public Health of the Sergas has issued a health warning while early investigations have said a tortilla stand selling the traditional Spanish cuisine may be the original source of the infections.
"We are collaborating with the authorities to locate the source of the incident, likely linked to a raw material supplied by one of our suppliers," said the festival organisers in an official statement.
While health officials work to identify the exact source of the outbreak, the Galician Ministry of Health is being urged by consumer group FACUA Galicia to inspect food trucks, eating establishments and other mobile food outlets at festivals and other events to help prevent future outbreaks.
FACUA Galicia has also said that affected individuals can claim compensation for days in which they’ve been ill from the salmonella outbreak provided they can support their claim with a medical report.
Being able to prove purchase of the affected foods would also be useful for supporting compensation claims, it said.
It’s not the first time that the traditional egg and potato tortillas have been linked with a salmonella outbreak.
In 2023, over 100 fell ill with food poisoning after dining at Casa Dani in Madrid. The outbreak was tied to the tortillas which often have runny, unset centres – fertile ground for salmonella to survive and thrive.
Generally speaking, if you come down with food poisoning you can typically ride it out without medical intervention. Staying hydrated is key, as is keeping an eye out for worsening symptoms.
Pregnant women, young children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised are most at risk of food poisoning complications.
Rachael Davis