Food Safety - illness and
contamination
If you have found a foreign object in a food item (this
includes drinks) please refer to the Food Complaints page. A foreign object
describes something you would not expect to find within your
food.
To get more information on food hazard warnings please go to
the Food Incident Warnings
page.
What are the main causes of Food Poisoning?
The main causes of food poisoning -
- not cooking food properly throughout
- preparing food too far in advance and leaving this out at room temperature
- not defrosting the food properly or sufficiently (food should always be defrosted in the refrigerator and always be defrosted thoroughly)
- poor personal hygiene such as not washing the hands after visits to the toilet and / or preparing food
- preparing cooked / ready to eat foods on the same surface as raw meat / raw food without thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting in-between
- storing food incorrectly - some foods should be kept in the fridge until cooked or eaten, and ready to eat food should always be stored above anything which is not
The time taken from eating suspect food to feeling unwell
varies considerably. This time period can be up to 15
days. The last meal you ate will probably
not be the cause of your illness.
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, and sometimes fever.
Occasionally, food poisoning can be very serious and even cause death. So it's important to prevent food poisoning with good food hygiene.
Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea, and sometimes fever.
Occasionally, food poisoning can be very serious and even cause death. So it's important to prevent food poisoning with good food hygiene.
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, refer to the Food Complaints page and report the incident to Peterborough Direct
Why is it important to report food
poisoning?
If you think your illness has been caused by food from a
restaurant or other food business, our Environmental Health
Officers need to know so they can investigate the business in
question. If the officers find a problem with
the business's food hygiene practices, and get the business to
improve them, this could help prevent other people suffering from
food poisoning.
It is essential that you inform your Employer or
Environmental Health Officer if you:
- are a food handler whose work is connected with the preparation or handling of food and drink
- are a health care or nursery member of staff or other staff who has direct contact or contact through serving food, with highly susceptible patients or person to whom food poisoning would have particularly serious consequences
This information and more regarding food safety can be found on the Food Standards Agency's website
For further information, please contact the
Food team.