Anyone can come down with food poisoning. Statistically speaking, nearly everyone will come down with food poisoning at least once in their lives.
There are some populations that are more at risk than others. Anyone with a suppressed immune system or an auto-immune disease may have a greater risk of infection and a greater risk of complications resulting from food poisoning.
Food poisoning is an illness caused by bacteria or other toxins in food, typically with vomiting and diarrhoea.
The illness resulting from eating food or drinking water containing poisonous substances including bacteria, viruses, pesticides, or toxins.
Symptoms generally begin within 2 to 6 hours and include abdominal cramping, diarrhea, fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and weakness.
At least 250 different kinds of food poisoning have been documented, but the most common ones are e. coli, listeria, salmonella, and norovirus, which is commonly called "stomach flu." Other less common illnesses that can be transferred from food or food handling are botulism, campylobacter, vibrio, and shigella.
Most cases of food poisoning last about 1 to 2 days and symptoms resolve on their own. If symptoms persist longer than that, the person should contact their health-care professional. Cyclospora infections may be difficult to detect and diarrhea may last for weeks.
Certain foods are more likely to cause food poisoning than others, especially if they are improperly stored, prepared or cooked:
•Raw and undercooked poultry such as chicken, duck and turkey has a high risk of causing food poisoning.
This is mainly due to two types of bacteria, Campylobacter and Salmonella, which are commonly found in the guts and feathers of these birds
•Vegetables and leafy greens are a common source of food poisoning, especially when eaten raw.
In fact, fruits and vegetables have caused a number food poisoning outbreaks, particularly lettuce, spinach, cabbage, celery and tomatoes.
Contamination can occur from unclean water and dirty runoff, which can leach into the soil that fruits and vegetables are grow in.
It can also occur from dirty processing equipment and unhygienic food preparation practices. Leafy greens are especially risky because they are often consumed raw
•Fish and shellfish are a common source of food poisoning.
Fish that has not been stored at the correct temperature has a high risk of being contaminated with histamine, a toxin produced by bacteria in fish
•Eggs are a versatile, convenient and nutritious protein and are part of countless meals all around the world. However, they’re considered high-risk when it comes to food poisoning, specifically when raw or undercooked.
Salmonella in eggs is responsible for many of the foodborne illness cases in Australia. Bacteria can contaminate either the yolk, the white or the eggshell. Often a contaminated egg will not look, smell or taste any different, making it almost impossible to detect.
•Raw milk is milk that is unpasteurised, which means that it hasn’t been heated to kill any harmful bacteria. The risk of consuming raw milk is that there’s a higher chance of the milk containing bacteria, for example, E. coli, salmonella or listeria. If consumed, these bacteria can cause a range of food poisoning illnesses, which vary from mild to life-threatening.
•Rice is one of the most eaten foods on the planet and is also considered a high-risk food when it comes to food poisoning. It can become contaminated with Bacillus cereus, which can initially infect and live in uncooked rice as spores. Rather than eliminating the spores, cooking actually activates them and moist cooked rice is the perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Not storing cooked rice properly is one of the biggest culprits of foodborne illnesses in the world.
All cooked rice should be stored in the refrigerator at the correct temperature, under 5 degrees Celsius, to avoid the further growth of bacteria. Rice that has high-risk proteins in it, for example, pork or egg, carries an even higher risk of contamination.
There are four simple steps you can take to prevent food poisoning:
Clean – always wash your hands before and after handling and eating food, after visiting the toilet or playing with pets or animals
Cook – make sure that food is thoroughly cooked in order to destroy any harmful that might be present.
Chill – keep food cool in order to prevent bad bacteria from growing; make sure that your fridge is at the correct temperature to keep cold foods chilled – aim to keep your fridge at 5°C or below.
Separate to prevent cross-contamination – separate raw and cooked foods during storage and cooking and never let raw food, for example raw meat, come into contact with food that is ready-to-eat.
~Promoting healthy living
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