Veal liver linked to Campylobacter infection in Quebec study
What it found
In a study in Quebec, people who ate veal liver were more likely to get a Campylobacter infection, especially if the liver was eaten pink or undercooked.
Campylobacter was found in 28 of 97 veal livers sampled from slaughterhouses and shops.
What they found
Studies in people
Veal liver and infection
Among people over 45 in Quebec, eating veal liver was strongly linked to campylobacteriosis. The link stayed after adjusting for other exposures.
Undercooked liver
Of the campylobacteriosis patients who ate veal liver, 29 out of 42 (69.0%) ate it undercooked. Among veal liver eaters, those who ate it well-cooked were less likely to be campylobacteriosis cases.
Animal and lab studies
Campylobacter in livers
Campylobacter was found in 28.0% of veal livers, 22.2% of pork livers, 36.8% of chicken livers and 19.1% of beef livers collected from slaughterhouses and shops.
Salmonella in livers
Salmonella was found more often in chicken livers (22.1%) and pork livers (19.1%) than in veal livers (3.1%). It was not found in beef livers.
Where livers were sampled
More veal livers from shops (35.7%) had Campylobacter than veal livers from slaughterhouses (16.2%). The opposite was seen for chicken and pork livers.
What the authors conclude
“We found that adequate cooking of veal liver mitigates the risk of infection.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say their study found a strong and statistically significant link between eating veal liver and sporadic, domestically acquired campylobacteriosis in people over 45 in Quebec.
- They say that cooking veal liver adequately reduces the risk of infection.
- They recommend sharing safe food handling practices for veal liver and other offal with retailers, food establishments, slaughterhouses and the public.
How it was done
Recent investigations in Quebec after a rise in sporadic campylobacteriosis cases suggested that eating veal liver might be a risk factor. Many infected people reported eating veal liver, often pink or undercooked.
They matched 112 campylobacteriosis patients over 45 with salmonellosis patients of the same age group and sex, and asked both groups by phone about foods and other exposures in the 7 days before illness. They also collected 339 veal, pork, chicken and beef livers from slaughterhouses and shops and tested them for Campylobacter, Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7.
What it can’t tell you
- This study looked at people over 45 in Quebec, so the results may not apply to other groups or places.
- It cannot show whether cross-contamination of foods and surfaces, or factors in the person, also played a role, because those were not examined.
The paper
- Title
- Veal Liver as Food Vehicle for Human Campylobacter Infections
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Gaulin C, Ramsay D, Dion R, et al (2018). Veal Liver as Food Vehicle for Human Campylobacter Infections. Emerging infectious diseases. doi:10.3201/eid2406.171900Free full textPubMed 29774851DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error