Causes of Food Poisoning

The main causes of food poisoning and food borne illness are:

• preparing foods too far in advance
• not cooking foods properly
• not re-heating foods properly
• not defrosting foods correctly
• storing foods incorrectly (ie too warm) so that bacteria can grow quickly
• cross contamination of foods after cooking
• infection from people handling foods due to poor hygiene

Who is at Risk?

We all are, but babies, young children and the elderly can very quickly become very ill when infected. Pregnant women, people who already have a pre-existing illness, and anyone whose immune system is weakened can also be seriously affected by food borne illness.

What are the Main Symptoms of Food-Borne Illness / Food Poisoning?

• diarrhoea
• stomach cramps
• vomiting
• fever
• nausea
• headache
• dizziness

Updated March 2008