A food supplement based on moringa powder has ended up at the center of an international alert. The Italian Ministry of Health has also issued a public notice for the withdrawal from the market of “Rosabella Moringa Capsules”, distributed by the US company Ambrosia Brands LLC, after 7 confirmed cases of Salmonella infection were recorded in the United States, with three patients hospitalized.
The peculiarity that makes this episode particularly worrying is not only the number of cases, but the nature of the bacterial strain identified. It’s about the Salmonella Newport which proved to be resistant to all first-line antibiotics and also to those normally used as a therapeutic alternative in salmonellosis. In other words, treating it with the usual drugs doesn’t work, and it is precisely this characteristic that immediately triggered international health alerts.
The product and batches involved
The recall concerns 52 lots of the product “Rosabella Moringa Capsules” of 60 capsules. The distribution company reported that the product is marketed not only through its official website (tryrosabella.com), but also through some of the most popular e-commerce platforms in the world: eBay, Shein and TikTok Shop, as well as other online retailers.
To recognize the affected batches, it is necessary to check the number shown on the base of the packaging: all recalled batches begin with the number “1356”, followed by seven digits and the number “1” or “2”, as in the example “1356-5060080-1”.
The deadlines for the lots involved range from March to November 2027.
Because it’s so serious
Not all cases of salmonellosis are the same. This infection often clears up on its own in a few days, or at most with a course of antibiotics. The strain Salmonella Newport identified in this outbreak, however, is a very different case: the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have classified it as multi-resistant, i.e. capable of surviving the action of the main antibiotics used in clinics. As the Ministry of Health itself clarifies in the recall notice:
the bacterium was resistant to all first-line antibiotics and alternative ones commonly used for the treatment of salmonellosis.
This scenario is part of the broader global crisis of antibiotic resistance, which the World Health Organization considers one of the main public health threats of our time. Finding such a strain in a supplement sold freely online is a sign that should not be underestimated: natural products, often perceived as risk-free, can in certain circumstances carry dangerous pathogens, especially if produced without adequate hygiene and health controls along the entire supply chain.
The alert in Italy
The alert reached Italy through a very specific institutional channel, the RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) of the European Commission. This system, coordinated by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), allows European Union member states to promptly receive and share food risk notifications from all over the world, including those from the United States.
As soon as EFSA became aware of the multidrug-resistant salmonellosis outbreak linked to Rosabella Moringa capsules, the information was forwarded to the Italian contact point, which involved the Ministry of Health. The latter issued a public notice aimed directly at consumers. The choice is motivated precisely by the nature of the sale: since it is a product distributed almost exclusively online, intercepting it on store shelves is practically impossible, and the probability that someone has already purchased it and stored it at home is real.
There are currently no confirmed cases of infection with Salmonella Newport related to this product on Italian territory. The intervention of the authorities is therefore of a preventive nature, but no less urgent for this.
What to do if you have the product at home
If you have Rosabella Moringa Capsules with a batch number starting with 1356, the authorities’ recommendation is clear: do not consume them, even if the package is still sealed. The product must be disposed of following local indications for special waste.
If you purchased the product online, keep your receipt as you may be entitled to a refund. And if in recent weeks you have experienced symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, abdominal cramps or nausea after taking the supplement, contact your GP without waiting.
Sources: Ministry of Health / FDA
