Food Poisoning
It is never a popular dinner topic, but a very common, very important, and potentially deadly area that people need to be aware of.
What is Food Poisoning?
There are many different beliefs of when certain foods go bad, but regardless of all the specifics, food poisoning is literally when an illness is caused by food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, or toxins.
Depending on what type of food, how long it has been setting out and any contaminants the food has been exposed to will alter the type of food poisoning the person or persons experience. The majority of food poisoning symptoms are relatively similar, but some food poisoning symptoms can be extremely uncomfortable, painful, debilitating and even deadly.
Top 5 Most Common Food Poisoning Symptoms
Many people have experienced upset stomach, gurgling, rumbling or a warm stomach from food that did not agree with us at some point in our lives, but true food poisoning symptoms can be right out of a horror movie.
Here is a list of the Top 5 Most Common Food Poisoning Symptoms:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Watery or bloody diarrhea
- Abdominal pain and cramps
- Fever
To learn more about food poisoning symptoms visit our symptoms page.
It's easy to panic at the first signs of food poisoning, wanting to rush ourselves to the emergency room. In many cases, it is not completely necessary to go to the hospital, but here are some signs according to MayoClinic.org that it is that time to call 911 or head for the ER:
- Frequent episodes of vomiting and inability to keep liquids down
- Bloody vomit or stools
- Diarrhea for more than three days
- Extreme pain or severe abdominal cramping
- An oral temperature higher than 100.4 F (38 C)
- Signs or symptoms of dehydration — excessive thirst, dry mouth, little or no urination, severe weakness, dizziness, or lightheadedness
- Neurological symptoms such as blurry vision, muscle weakness and tingling in the arms
Top 12 Most Common Types of Food Poisoning
With all of the different varieties of food poisoning, ranging from all types of foods, locations, time of being left out and other contamination circumstances, here is a list of the top 12 most common types of food poisoning:
- Botulism
- E.coli
- Foodborne Illnesses
- Hepatitis A
- Listeria
- Raw Milk Sickness
- Salmonella
- Shigella
- Tainted Eggs
To learn more about the specifics of the list above, visit Types of Food Poisoning
.Negligence and Food Poisoning
Laws, regulations and the Restaurant/Market Grading System are put to use to ensure the health and safety of everyone. Negligent food service is the number one cause of commercial food poisoning.
Restaurants that do not wash, prepare, handle or store food properly have a massive risk and liability towards getting somebody sick, a group of people sick, or worse; killing someone.
There are many ways restaurants, markets and other food and beverage establishments can prove negligent in their products and services:
- Employees, cooks and servers not washing hands
- Dropping food or drinks on the floor or other unsanitary spaces
