What is food poisoning?

Food poisoning includes foodborne intoxication and foodborne infections which are terms applied to illness acquired through consumption of contaminated food. These diseases include those caused by chemical contaminants such as heavy metals and many organic compounds

How to prevent food poisoning

There are some simple rules you can follow to minimise the risk of food poisoning. You should take steps to: Prevent food from being contaminated Prevent the bacteria in the food from growing and multiplying.

Preparing food to avoid food poisoning

When you prepare food:

Wash your hands in warm, soapy water before preparing food.

Dont use the same cutting board for raw food that will be used for cooked (meat) and foods that are served raw (such as salads). This

reduces the chances of cross contamination of food.

Note that most food should be cooked to a temperature of at least 75 C.

Check the cooking temperature with a thermometer. If you dont

have one, make sure you cook poultry until the meat is white, particularly near the bone.

Storing food to avoid food poisoning

When you store food: Separate raw food from cooked food, and store raw food at the bottom of the fridge to avoid juices dripping onto and

contaminating other food.

Check your fridge temperature is below 5 C and your freezer temperature is below -15 C.

Allow cooked foods to cool to room temperature (about 21 C) before

storing in the refrigerator. This prevents the refrigerator temperature from rising and reduces the risk of bacterial growth in all food stored in the fridge.

Cover all food with lids, tin foil or plastic wrap. Dont store food in opened tin cans.

Are there any special concerns about food poisoning?

If you believe that you may have food poisoning, you

should seek immediate medical attention. If you have

food poisoning and you are pregnant, you should promptly discuss this with your health care provider.

Individuals with food poisoning, who provide personal care to others, particularly seniors or children should

not work while symptomatic. If you are a food handler

you should not prepare or serve food until you are symptom free.

Treatment of food poisoning may include:

Replacement of lost fluids. Fluids and electrolytes minerals such as sodium, potassium and calcium that maintain the balance of fluids in your body lost to persistent diarrhea need to be replaced.

Antibiotics. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics if you have certain kinds of bacterial food poisoning and your symptoms are severe. Food poisoning caused by listeria needs to be treated with intravenous antibiotics in the hospital. And the sooner treatment begins, the better.

Things to remember

Food poisoning bacteria can multiply very quickly,

particularly in certain conditions.

Pregnant women, young children, the elderly and

those with an illness are more at risk of food

poisoning.

Take care when preparing, storing or serving food, especially potentially high-risk foods.

See your doctor as soon as possible if you

experience symptoms of food poisoning.

Continued.......

Treatment alternatives vary because food poisoning can be caused by many different micro-organisms or chemicals. Your health care provider will discuss the treatment with you depending upon which micro-

organism or chemical has made you

THANK YOU.....