how to keep food poisoning in retreat
by Jenny Bryan
If you've ever spent the night hugging the lavatory bowl wondering if the guests at your dinner party have also been laid low with food poisoning, then a quick trawl through the Health Protection Agency (HPA)'s database of culinary nightmares should reassure you that at least you're not alone.
© Getty
Recent entries include a home-made chicken liver paté that didn't go down well in one house, a bread and butter pudding with meringue topping that upset many of the occupants of a residential home, a hog roast that left revellers wishing they hadn't, and a mouth-watering sausage and egg sandwich which didn't quite live up to expectations.
Dr Sarah O'Brien, consultant epidemiologist in the gastrointestinal diseases division at the HPA's Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre in London, estimates that about 100,000 cases of food poisoning find their way into government statistics in the UK each year. But many more are never reported or investigated.
a decline in salmonella
Poultry and eggs have traditionally been the main culprits, but a massive immunisation programme by poultry breeders has led to a significant reduction in birds and eggs infected with salmonella and this is reflected in a recent decline in recorded cases of food poisoning in the UK. However, cases of Escherichia coli 0157 – the bacterium responsible for several fatal outbreaks of food poisoning in recent years – have increased significantly since the microbe was first identified in the early 1980s and food poisoning remains a major public health concern.
'Salmonella is still the second most common bacterial cause of food poisoning, behind Campylobacter. Viruses are more frequent causes of intestinal infection, but symptoms are short lived and so they aren't usually reported,' explains Dr O'Brien.
viruses lie in wait
Intestinal viruses can be spread from person to person, not just consumed with food. Their effects can be sudden and explosive. Someone vomits into a sink and minute viral particles spread across nearby surfaces waiting to infect whoever cleans up. Norwalk-type virus infection is also called winter vomiting disease because of its seasonal appearance while rotaviruses can strike all year round, particularly babies.
In contrast, bacterial infections are more likely to be spread in food, as a result of inadequate storage or cooking, or cross contamination.
beware poisoning your party guests
A recent HPA survey reported that nearly nine out of 10 cases of food poisoning in the home occur at dinner parties, barbecues and other events when people cook for more mouths than usual, and most of these were attributed to poor hygiene. And, despite the reduction in salmonella in chickens and their eggs, poultry, desserts and egg dishes were responsible for two-thirds of cases.
'Outbreaks of food poisoning are falling, both inside and outside the home. But our study showed that, when they occurred in the home, this was mainly associated with people cooking for large numbers in their own kitchens,' explains Dr O'Brien. She points out it may only take one or two infected eggs in a large mousse or pot of mayonnaise prepared for a party to give all the guests a nasty bout of food poisoning if it isn't kept refrigerated.
'The bowl may be too big to go in the freezer, so people leave it on the sideboard or on the freezer in the garage. The bacteria soon multiply so that everyone gets some in their spoonful,' she says.
At first glance, being poisoned at home also seems to be more dangerous than elsewhere. In the survey, those who got food poisoning in the home were nearly three times more likely to need hospital treatment than those who picked up bugs outside the home. But Dr O'Brien explains that salmonella was the most common cause of the home outbreaks studied, and this tends to cause more serious health problems than viruses and most other organisms.
One way to reduce the risk of salmonella getting into your food is to buy poultry and eggs only from producers which have immunised their livestock. Eggs with the red lion quality mark come from laying hens which have been vaccinated against Salmonella. They should also have been stored correctly and have a 'best before' date on packaging. Even so, there's no substitute for good hygiene.
storing food correctly
- Store all food according to the instructions on the packaging
- Don't let things warm up on long journeys from shops to home
- Food that needs to be kept refrigerated should be kept covered and chilled to around 5 degrees centigrade
- Use a thermometer to ensure that the temperature in your fridge is between 0 and 5 degrees centigrade and your freezer remains below -18 degrees centigrade
- Store raw foods at the bottom of the fridge so they cannot drip onto cooked meals
- Do not eat foods that are past their sell-by date, especially if they contain meat or fish products.
handling food safely
- Prepare cooked and uncooked foods separately
- Wash your hands after handling raw meat or eggs, particularly before handling other foods
- Don't use the same chopping board and knife to prepare raw meat or fish and vegetables. Wash them thoroughly before moving from meat or fish to vegetables
- Wash salads thoroughly before eating.
cooking food thoroughly
- Always ensure that frozen foods are fully thawed before cooking
- Follow cooking instructions carefully and don't take short cuts
- Make sure that food is cooked right through. A cooking thermometer will help ensure you leave no cold spots
- When cooking stuffed meats (e.g. the Christmas turkey) cook stuffing separately or allow extra cooking time. Stuffing placed in the body cavity will slow cooking of meat in the surrounding area
- Cool leftovers as quickly as possible by covering them and putting them straight in the fridge
- If the packaging advises against re-heating, don't!
treatment for food poisoning
Most cases of food poisoning get better on their own. Ideally, stop eating for 24 to 48 hours but be sure to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration resulting from vomiting and diarrhoea.
If you aren't feeling any better after a few days, your doctor can advise about other treatments. Antibiotics are sometimes prescribed for a bacterial infection, but you will need to supply a stool sample so that the bacterium can be identified. This is because antibiotics do not work against viral infection and can make certain bacterial infections worse. For example, E.coli 0157 doesn't attack the surface of the intestine, like salmonella and campylobacter. Instead its cells produce a harmful toxin. Treating it with an antibiotic breaks down the cells, leading to increased release of toxin. Serious cases of food poisoning caused by organisms such as E.coli 0157 require hospital treatment to prevent dehydration, kidney and other organ damage.
help and info
Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites.
organisations
CORE – The Digestive Disorders Foundation
3 St Andrews Place
London NW1 4LB
Tel: 020 7486 0341
Email: info@corecharity.org.uk
Website: www.digestivedisorders.org.uk
Provides information for sufferers of digestive disorders, their families and friends (although does not deal with individual medical enquiries). Informative website features information on food poisoning.
Health Protection Agency (HPA)
The Adelphi Building
John Adam Street
The Strand
London WC2N 6HT
Tel: 020 7339 1300
E-mail: webteam@hpa.org.uk
Website: www.hpa.org.uk
An independent body that protects the health and wellbeing of everyone in England and Wales. Plays a critical role in protecting people from infectious diseases and preventing harm when hazards involving chemicals, poisons and radiation occur. The website contains extensive information about diseases, plus advice and guidelines on quality and safety.
Institute of Food Research (IFR)
Norwich Research Park
Colney NR4 7UA
Tel: 01603 255000
Website: www.ifrn.bbsrc.ac.uk
Carries out research into the safety and quality of food, and improving people's diet and health. Website features various information sheets on food safety, food quality and health issues.
NHS Direct
Helpline: 0845 46 47 (24 hours)
Website: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
The 24-hour NHS service provides expert health advice from trained nurses. An extensive database of medical information is available on their website. They can also advise you if you wish to make a complaint about the NHS.
websites
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
www.defra.gov.uk/foodrin/poultry/default.htm
A range of information about issues related to eggs and poultry.
Food Standards Agency
www.foodstandards.gov.uk
Aims to make sure the food you eat is safe, and to offer independent, balanced advice.
Foodlink
www.foodlink.org.uk
Aims to raise awareness of food safety and hygiene. The website features food safety tips, information about some of the common causes of food poisoning, an interactive quiz and a large range of links.
GastroHep.com
www.gastrohep.com
On-line resource for all aspects of gastroenterology, hepatology and endoscopy.
Institute of Food Science & Technology
www.ifst.org
Provides answers to frequently asked questions about food and food topics, including food safety.
reading
Preventing Food Poisoning – Good Hygiene at Home from The Food Standards Agency |
|
 |
How to Prevent Food Poisoning: A practical guide to safe cooking, eating, and food handling by Elizabeth Scott and Paul Sockett (John Wiley & Sons, 1998) |
 |
Safe Food for You and Your Family by the American Dietetic Association (John Wiley & Sons, 1996) |
 |
|
(Updated December 2004, resources updated March 2005)
