More than 80 people are ill in France due to a Salmonella outbreak linked to a meat product from Italy.

A spokeswoman from Santé Publique France told Food Safety News that 83 people had been infected by Salmonella Typhimurium and 13 of them needed hospital treatment.

Coppa of the brand Di Vittorio supplied by Castelli France, founded in 1991 and based in Marseille, was recalled last week. Sliced or whole Coppa sold between May 17 and July 8 country-wide was part of the recall.

Consumer complaints led the French supermarket Intermarché to alert authorities and withdraw the Italian charcuterie from the sale.

Authorities told people who still have the products not to consume them and to take items back to the place of purchase.

Seven children sick

The foodborne outbreak is suspected to be caused by Salmonella Typhimurium in Coppa from Italy, with raw material from France and Germany.

Both men and women aged between 18 to 84 years old are ill while seven children are also sick. The first patient was reported at the start of June and the last so far was early July. Those ill come from five different regions in the country.

Customer complaints were reported to the French General Directorate of Food (DGAL) and then Santé Publique France, the country’s public health agency. Collective food poisoning was reported by health professionals to the Regional Agencies of Health (ARS).

Patients were asked about food consumption before illness onset and Salmonella strains isolated from their stools have been sent to the National Reference Center of Salmonella at the Institut Pasteur for typing.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection typically develop six to 72 hours after exposure to the bacteria and may include fever, chills, diarrhea, cramps, headache, nausea and vomiting. They usually last from four to seven days and most people recover without treatment.

Older adults, children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop a severe illness.