12 Main Causes of Food Poisoning

Food poisoning comes from eating foods that contain germs like bad bacteria or toxins, which are poisonous substances. Bacteria are all around us, so mild cases of food poisoning are common hence why almost everyone has at one time or another had some form of stomach upset related to it. However food poisoning is preventable.

Here are the 12 main causes of food poisoning and ways to prevent it

Raw Fruits and Vegetables

The dangerous listeriosis outbreak of 2011 has many people rethinking the rules about food safety and food poisoning. Listeria bacteria can contaminate fresh produce.Symptoms of infection include fever, muscle aches, upset stomach, or diarrhoea -occurring two days to two months after exposure.

What to Do - Scrub raw produce and dry before cutting. Store in fridge below 40° F.

Unpasteurised Dairy Products

Dairy products made with raw milk, including yogurt and soft cheeses like Brie and Feta can harbour listeria. Because listeria can live at colder temperatures, simply refrigerating these foods won't kill the bacteria.

What to Do - Check the label. Make sure it's clearly marked "pasteurised."

Deli Meats

Sometimes listeria finds its way into a food processing factory, where it can live for years. Heat kills listeria, but contamination may happen after cooking, but before packaging – for example, if a food is placed back on a counter that had raw meat on it.

What to Do - Never keep pre-cooked or ready-to-eat foods past their use-by date.

Poultry and Eggs

Salmonella bacteria can taint any food, although there's a greater risk from animal products because of contact with animal faeces. In chickens, it can infect eggs before the shell forms, so even clean, fresh eggs may harbour salmonella. Symptoms include stomach cramps, fever, and diarrhoea 12 to 72 hours after exposure.

What to Do - Never eat raw or lightly cooked eggs. Keep raw poultry separate from other foods. Wash hands, cutting boards, utensils, and countertops after handling

Fresh Produce

Fresh produce is catching up with poultry as a cause of salmonella infections. Outbreaks have been traced to cucumbers, tomatoes, hot peppers and salad greens. Fruits and vegetables can also be tainted with E. coli if the fertiliser or water used to grow them carries the bacteria

What to Do- Thoroughly wash and dry produce, and store in the fridge at 40° F.

Ground Beef

E. coli lives in the intestines of cattle and can contaminate beef during the slaughtering process. Ground beef is especially risky, because the bacteria can spread when meat is ground up. Symptoms of E. coli infection include severe abdominal cramps, watery diarrhoea, and vomiting. The illness typically develops several days after exposure and can be severe in vulnerable people. It lasts about a week.

What to Do - Cook meat thoroughly i.e. no pink in the centre. Do not put a cooked burger back on a plate that held raw meat. Wash utensils, including the meat thermometer, with warm, soapy water.

Canned Foods

Botulism is a rare, possibly fatal illness linked to improperly canned or preserved foods. Home-canned foods are especially at risk, as well as honey, cured meats, and fermented, smoked, or salted fish.

What to Do - Never give honey to children under 12 months. Throw away bulging or dented cans, leaking jars, or foul-smelling preserved foods - or if liquid spurts out upon opening.

Meat, Stew, and Gravy

Clostridium is a type of bacteria that causes cramps and diarrhoea lasting less than 24 hours. Stews, gravies, and other foods that are prepared in large quantities and kept warm for a long time before serving are a common source this infection.

What to Do - Sauces, gravies, and stews should be cooked thoroughly and then kept at a temperature above 140° F or below 41° F. Serve food hot right after cooking. Promptly refrigerate leftovers

Sandwiches, Salads, Pastries

You can get a staph infection from food -when an infected person prepares it. Foods at highest risk include sandwiches, salads (including egg, tuna, chicken and potato), cream-filled pastries, and puddings.

What to Do - Wash hands thoroughly before handling food. Do not handle food if you are sick or have a nose or eye infection, an open wound, or infection on your hands or wrists.

Improper Food Handling

Hepatitis A is a virus that attacks the liver and can cause fever, fatigue, nausea, weight loss, and jaundice. Most infections are mild. It can spread when an infected person doesn’t wash hands properly, and then touches food or items that are put in the mouth. Recent outbreaks were traced back to workers in food processing plants or restaurants.

What to Do - Get vaccinated against hepatitis A. Check restaurant health ratings. Always wash hands thoroughly before handling food

Undercooked Poultry

As little as one drop of raw chicken juice can cause campylobacter illness - a little-known illness that is the second-leading cause of food poisoning in the U.S. Symptoms can include fever, cramps, diarrhoea, and vomiting. Most people recover in less than a week, but it can lead to Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare, serious illness.

What to Do - Avoid cross-contamination by washing hands, cutting surfaces, utensils, and countertops in warm, soapy water after handling raw poultry. Cook poultry thoroughly.

Raw Oysters

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that lives in warm seawater and can contaminate shellfish, particularly oysters. V. vulnificus infection causes the same gastrointestinal symptoms as many other foodborne illnesses, but in people with weakened immune systems it can develop into a life-threatening blood infection.

Safety - Only eat thoroughly cooked shellfish. Frying, baking, boiling, and steaming reduces the risk of infection. Throw away any shellfish that doesn't open during cooking.

When to Call a Doctor

Most foodborne illnesses resolve on their own, but you should call the doctor if you have:

A high fever

Bloody stools

Prolonged vomiting

Diarrhoea lasting more than three days

Dehydration (dry mouth, dizziness, reduced urination)

Tips for Safer Food Handling

Thoroughly wash hands before handling food.

Wash cutting surfaces, utensils, and worktops after contact with raw meat.

Wash produce under running water and dry with paper towels.

Discard outer leaves of lettuce or cabbage.

Cook meat, poultry, and eggs to proper temperature.

Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.

Remember

Certain groups are at increased risk of contracting a foodborne illness or getting very sick from it. Pregnant women, the elderly, young children, and people with compromised immune systems should avoid eating undercooked meats and eggs, unpasteurised dairy products, uncooked deli meats, and raw seafood