Food poisoning
How does food poisoning occur?
Eating habits are changing. More food is now eaten some time after its original preparation. This means that safe food handling to prevent food poisoning is becoming more important.
Eating food contaminated with harmful amounts of bacteria that our bodies do not tolerate causes food poisoning. Common symptoms are nausea, stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhoea and headache.
How does food become contaminated?
Bacteria are everywhere — in the air, soil and water. Insects and animals (including humans) carry bacteria and will contaminate any surface they touch.
In the right conditions (moisture and warmth), bacteria multiply, producing large colonies in food within several hours. Food affected in this way may still appear wholesome and normal, unlike obviously ‘off’ food that tastes and smells unpleasant. Meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and cream and some cereal foods (mainly rice) are especially vulnerable.
How to get rid of bacteria
Cooking to boiling point will destroy most bacteria. However, if cooked food is left to stand at temperatures between 5°C and 60°C for longer than 2 hours — including time spent preparing, serving and eating it — bacterial numbers can increase to dangerous levels.
Guidelines for protecting your family from food poisoning
Most reported cases of food poisoning occur during the summer. You can protect your family from food poisoning by following these rules.
- Store cold and frozen food in the refrigerator or freezer as soon as possible after purchasing.
- Wash hands with soap and warm water before handling food and between handling raw and cooked foods.
- Check the refrigerator temperature is between 0° and 4°C and the freezer is below -15°C.
- Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator or microwave to prevent bacteria growing on the outside while the inside remains frozen.
- Keep raw and cooked foods well separated in the refrigerator.
- Don't allow raw food to re-contaminate cooked food by using the same knife or chopping board.
- Serve cold food straight from the refrigerator.
- Hot foods should be kept at simmering point.
- Cooked foods that will not be eaten immediately should be cooled quickly and refrigerated.
- Leftovers should be reheated to steaming hot (at least 75°C) where possible.
- Rinse dishcloths with hot water and allow them to dry between uses.
- Avoid preparing food for others when you are sick, especially during or immediately after an episode of gastroenteritis.
Last Reviewed: 10 October 2008
