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| Impact
About 5.4 million Australians contract food poisoning each year and most cases can be prevented.
This results, on average: in 120 deaths, 1.2 million visits to doctors, 300,000 prescriptions for antibiotics, and 2.1 million days of lost work.
The estimated annual cost of food poisoning in Australia is $1.25 billion. NSW and the public health system bear roughly one-third of these costs.
Preventing
Food does not necessarily have to look, taste or smell bad to be off.
Bacteria, viruses and toxins that can cause food poisoning – such as E. coli, Listeria, norovirus, Salmonella, Staphylococcus – can be in foods such as raw meats, seafood, eggs, uncooked rice, flour, and raw fruit and vegetables at the time of purchase.
Improper storage or cooking as well as poor hygiene can also encourage bacteria to grow.
The four golden rules of food safety are: keep it cold, keep it clean, keep it hot, and check the label.
Less common causes of food poisoning include accidental chemical poisoning and natural contaminants.
If there's any doubt about the safety of a food, it’s best to avoid eating it.
Symptoms
It’s not always the last thing eaten that causes symptoms of food poisoning.
It can take 3 days or longer for symptoms to appear.
Vomiting, for example, can occur shortly after eating contaminated food but it's not always an indication of the food responsible for the illness.
Usually diarrhoea doesn't start until at least 4 to 6 hours after contaminated food is consumed; and it can take 3 days or even longer to start. If diarrhoea begins within 4 hours of eating, then the cause is most likely something consumed much earlier that day or on previous days.
Common symptoms of food poisoning are:
- diarrhoea
- fever
- nausea
- stomach pain, and
- vomiting.
Other symptoms can include headache, jaundice and numbness.
Urgent medical attention is needed if:
- symptoms last for more than 3 days
- symptoms are severe
- there is blood or mucus in diarrhoea, or
- dehydration is a risk, particularly for infants and older people.
People with diarrhoea and vomiting should stay home from work and school and drink plenty of fluids. Preparing food should be avoided for at least 48 hours after symptoms have stopped.
An illness that has similar symptoms to food poisoning is viral gastroenteritis. It is easily spread from person to person and can be readily mistaken for food poisoning.
More information
For more please see the Food Authority's comprehensive guide to food poisoning.
For more on reporting concerns about food safety including suspected cases of food poisoning, refer to complaints.
The NSW Food Authority can also be contacted on 1300 552 406 or email contact@foodauthority.nsw.gov.au.
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