Twelve people died from food poisoning in Belgium in 2025, twice as many as the previous year, according to the annual report of the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASCF), which carried out an average of 500 inspections a day.
The increase was largely linked to an outbreak of STEC bacteria in six care homes in August. Investigators identified contaminated filet américain as the most likely source, though laboratory tests could not confirm this.
A total of 773 food poisoning outbreaks were reported, affecting 3,375 people. Seventy-one people required hospital treatment.
The FASCF carried out 182,420 inspections, with 85.9% producing satisfactory results. It also analysed more than 62,000 samples, of which 98.1% met safety standards.
However, inspectors issued nearly 15,000 warnings and almost 10,000 official violation reports. More than 1,450 products were seized and 508 businesses were temporarily closed for breaches of food safety rules.
“In a constantly changing world, food safety must remain an absolute priority; it must be visible, understood and upheld by all links in the food chain,” said Christine Romeyns, managing director of the FASFC.
Bird flu also placed pressure on the agency, with 20 outbreaks in poultry farms and 350 infections among wild birds. About 665,000 poultry birds were culled.
Consumer complaints reached a record 6,268, up 20 per cent on the previous year. More than half resulted in enforcement action. Since November, the public have been able to check inspection results for restaurants, bakeries and shops through the Food Hygiene Rating online tool .
In a constantly changing world, food safety must remain an absolute priority
“The FASFC’s 2025 annual report shows that hundreds of inspections are carried out every day to ensure high standards and protect consumers,” said Agriculture minister David Clarinval. “This work relies on guidance from professionals to reinforce good practices and on decisive action when public health is at risk.”
The report comes as the federal government plans to reduce the FASCF’s budget by 24% by 2029. Consumer organisation Testaankoop has warned that the cuts could weaken food safety controls and increase the risk of future crises, particularly as food imports from South America are expected to rise under the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. The government has confirmed that cuts are planned but has not yet provided details.