Definition of Food Poisoning
Food poisoning occurs after consuming water or food contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins, etc. Generally, food poisoning is harmless and lasts only a few days. However, it can have more serious consequences for certain more vulnerable individuals. This is especially true for infants, young children, pregnant women, elderly people, and those whose immune system is weakened (e.g., cancer, AIDS, etc.).
Symptoms of Food Poisoning
The main symptoms of food poisoning include abdominal pain, cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, fever, and headaches. Symptoms can appear a few hours after consuming the contaminated food or several days later.
Causes of Food Poisoning
As mentioned earlier, food poisoning is caused by consuming contaminated water or food. Contamination can occur at all levels of the food chain from farm to table. Common causes of contamination include:
- Insufficient cooking or improper cooling of food.
- Contact between food and unwashed surfaces, utensils, or hands.
- Contact between cooked and raw foods.
- Contact between cooked foods and utensils, surfaces, or hands that have touched raw foods. This is called cross-contamination.
There are several infectious agents that can cause food poisoning. The following five bacteria are among the most common causes:
- Escherichia coli: Common sources of this bacterium include raw or inadequately cooked meats, raw fruits and vegetables, unpasteurized milk and apple juice, as well as untreated water.
- Salmonella: This bacterium is found in raw or inadequately cooked poultry, meat, fish, and eggs, raw fruits and vegetables, and unpasteurized dairy products.
- Listeria: Common sources of this bacterium are non-dried processed meats, unpasteurized dairy products, raw vegetables, as well as raw or undercooked meat, poultry, and fish.
- Clostridium botulinum: This bacterium is mainly found in improperly prepared canned foods and honey.
- Campylobacter jejuni: This bacterium is notably present in raw poultry, unpasteurized milk, and untreated water.
Preventing Food Poisoning
Food can be contaminated before, during, and after preparation. Here are some tips to reduce the risk of food poisoning:
- Wash hands regularly with warm water and soap (e.g., before cooking, after handling raw foods, etc.)
- Choose pasteurized products (e.g., dairy products and apple juice).
- Do not use cracked or broken eggs.
- Do not use dented, damaged, pierced, or leaking cans.
- Defrost food properly. The safest way to defrost food is to place it in the refrigerator in advance.
- Separate raw foods from cooked foods.
- Rinse fruits and vegetables well under water before cutting and eating them.
- If possible, use a different cutting board for vegetables and raw meats or wash the board between uses.
- Clean kitchen tools, utensils, work surfaces, and counters before and after cooking as well as when they have been in contact with raw meat.
- Cook foods thoroughly, especially meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. A cooking thermometer can be helpful to check the internal temperature of cooked foods.
- Refrigerate or freeze leftovers quickly. Leftovers should not remain at room temperature for more than two hours. Ideally, store them in the refrigerator in a container with the lid open if they are hot, then close the lid before transferring to the freezer once cooled if they will not be consumed within the next three days.
- Respect food storage and preservation temperatures. The Thermoguide from the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ) is a useful tool to know the storage durations of foods in the refrigerator or freezer:https://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/fr/Publications/Thermoguide.pdf.
- Change and wash kitchen towels regularly.
- Do not give honey to children under one year old.
- Regularly clean reusable grocery bags and lunch boxes.
References
- https://www.merckmanuals.com/en-ca/home/injuries-and-poisoning/poisoning/overview-of-food-poisoning
- https://ciusssmcq.ca/health-advice/infectious-diseases/food-poisoning/
- https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/nutrition/food-poisoning
- https://fondationolo.ca/blog/dossiers/hygiene-and-safety/how-to-prevent-food-poisoning/
- https://santemontreal.qc.ca/population/summer-health/how-to-avoid-food-poisoning/
- https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Food-Safety/Food-Safety---Understanding-Foodborne-Illness.aspx