Food Poisoning
We get food poisoning from eating food that contains harmful
bacteria, viruses or poisonous substances known as toxins.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of food poisoning can vary, depending on what has
caused it.
Common symptoms include;
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- abdominal cramps and diarrhoea,
- fever (sometimes).
Occasionally, food poisoning can be very serious and even cause
death. So it's important to prevent food poisoning with good food
hygiene.
How does it happen?
When someone swallows bacteria that cause food poisoning, there
is a delay (incubation period) before symptoms begin. This is
because most bacteria that cause food poisoning need time to
multiply in the intestine.
The length of the incubation period depends on the type of bacteria
and how many are swallowed. It could be hours or days. This
means that:
It may not have been the last meal you ate that caused
the food poisoning symptoms.
What should I do?
There are three main things to consider when you have food
poisoning:
- rehydration - drink plenty of fluids and
perhaps use rehydration powders available from pharmacies
- medical assistance - if you are concerned
about your health or the health of someone else, contact NHS Direct
(0845 4647) or your GP for advice (especially in the case of
pregnant women, elderly people, children and people who are already
ill)
- reporting - if you think that your illness was
caused by food prepared outside the home, contact us using
the contact details opposite. We may need to
investigate to ensure no one else is at risk from food
poisoning.
What if I have Food Poisoning Symptoms and Work in
the Food Business?
If you are a food handler you must not prepare food
if you have food poisoning symptoms.
Any person working in a food handling area must report certain
illnesses or conditions if there is any likelihood of them directly
or in directly contaminating food.
Normally you should wait a minimum of 48 hours after symptoms
have cleared up before being allowed anywhere in the
business where you might contaminate food.
Contact us for further guidance.
For information about preventing food poisoning, go to the Food
Standards Agency Eatwell
website.
