A food truck in southwest Italy has been linked to two deaths and 14 hospitalizations after serving tainted sausage sandwiches with turnip tops, according to authorities. Luigi di Sarno, 52, and Tamara D’Acunto, 45, died within two days of eating the sandwiches. The victims all ordered the same meal: a grilled sausage panini topped with turnip tops.
The food truck’s owner, Giuseppe Santonocito, and three employees are under investigation for allegedly making the tainted sandwiches. Authorities have also seized all of the commercially produced paninis from the truck, which were purchased in late July.
Santonocito claims that he was unaware of the contamination and is cooperating with the investigation. He has worked in the food sector for nine years and is well-respected in the community.
In addition to the tainted sandwiches, five doctors who treated the victims at two different hospitals are also being probed for allegedly not making their diagnoses quickly enough.
Botulism, a bacterial infection caused by food poisoning, can lead to muscle paralysis and death. This outbreak follows another toxic botulism outbreak in Sardinia earlier this month, which left one woman dead after eating spoiled guacamole at a festival. Italy’s Ministry of Health has activated health protocols to ensure timely access to life-saving antidote treatments for affected patients.
Source: https://nypost.com/2025/08/12/world-news/2-dead-14-hospitalized-after-eating-tainted-sausage-and-turnip-top-sandwiches-in-italy