It was not often realized that salmonella can persists in chocolate. Salmonella survives in chocolate for years.
In the mid 1970s there were more than 200 cases in Canada and the United States; these were mainly in young children and were caused by the relatively rare Salmonella eastbourne.
This serotype was found to be isolated in chocolate up to 15 months after manufacturers.
In 1982, 269 patients were found to have Salmonella napoli in their feces in comparison to only 15 reported cases in the previous thirty years.
Salmonella napoli named after its Italian origin.
Due to increase in reports of Salmonella napoli, it was controlled by removing a make of imported chocolate from the food chain.
Imported chocolate bars contaminated with Salmonella napoli were distributed to many parts of the country and cases were reported with no clear relationship either in time or place until careful epidemiology suggested the likely means of transmission.
Salmonella outbreaks in chocolate
