Learn about the causes and symptoms of food-borne illness from contaminated food (also called food poisoning), and how to prevent it.
Food-borne illness (or food poisoning) occurs when you eat contaminated food. Food-borne illness is a general term for:
The most common symptoms of food-borne illness are:
Symptoms can range from mild (a few stomach cramps) to extremely serious (may cause death).
To reduce the chance of food poisoning, ensure that you handle, cook and store food properly. Follow these four steps when handling food:
There are times when you might feel sick right after eating bad (contaminated) food. It depends on what caused the symptoms.
Infection occurs when the bacteria in food multiply and cause bowel irritation for anyone who eats the contaminated food. Symptoms usually include fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea.
Common infections include salmonella poisoning due to undercooked chicken or meat.
Intoxication occurs when the bacteria in food multiply and produce harmful poisons or toxins in the food. In some cases, these toxins can be deadly. The main symptom of a food-borne intoxication is usually vomiting, but might also include diarrhea.
A common intoxication is Staphylococcus aureus (e.g., sliced meat and custards left at room temperature). Clostridium botulinum (Botulism) is less common but more severe (e.g., improperly canned products such as vegetables and meats, foil-wrapped potatoes).
If you feel sick and think that you might have a food-borne illness then visit your doctor, who will run tests to determine if you have become ill due to contaminated food.
If you have a food-borne illness: