Food poisoning - additional information
• Make a list of everything you ate in the previous 24 hours
• Keep the suspect food, if you still have it, in it’s packaging if possible
• Preserve the food (i.e. freeze it) but prevent contamination with other foods
• Keep all relevant receipts such as restaurant bills or supermarket receipts
• Take down names and contact details of possible witnesses
• Medical evidence from a gastroenterologist will be required to prove your illness and the extent of your recovery.
Claims can be difficult to pursue if the food poisoning bacteria have a long incubation period. But if you were one of large group who have been poisoned then your food poisoning claim will be easier to prove.
If you ate in many different establishments in a short period of time then it may be difficult to identify the source of the infection.
- Diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Stomach cramps
Repeated vomiting and diarrhea from food poisoning can dehydrate a person rapidly. The elderly and the very young are at particular risk from serious injury due to dehydration. Urgent hospital treatment can be required for severe cases of infection.
Likely reasons include
• inadequate cooking to kill food poisoning bacteria
• improper storage of foods that are a potential source of food poisoning bacteria
• cross contamination of bacterial infection from food to food
• poor hygiene standards
More information can be found at the Food Standards Agency.
Environmental Health Officers handle complaints about food quality, hygiene and safety issues that have caused food poisoning. They will investigate allegations and prosecute the food establishment if there is sufficient evidence.
Find your local Environmental Health Officer:
Environmental Health Officers can gather evidence quickly using their statutory powers. Such evidence may be vital to your food poisoning claim.
