600 tins still in circulation Several people hospitalized for wild garlic pesto in France

After eating wild garlic pesto, five people in France have been admitted to intensive care under suspicion of botulism. The five had eaten the pesto, which may have contained a poisonous bacterium, at a birthday party, the prefecture of the Indre-et-Loire department in central France announced on Tuesday. The sick people are currently receiving artificial respiration.

Around 600 tins of wild garlic pesto from the manufacturer O Ptits Oignons are currently still in circulation. People who have bought them should throw them away, the prefecture emphasized. The wild garlic pesto from the local producer had been sold at several festivals in the region in recent months. The hypothesis of poisoning is still being investigated.

Last year, a woman died after eating spoiled sardines in Bordeaux. Twelve other people were treated for food poisoning.

Botulism is a type of food poisoning that can be caused by spoiled canned food. It leads to death in five to ten percent of cases, as the respiratory muscles become paralyzed.