How To Prevent Food Poisoning

There are many ways to get a foodborne illness. You don’t control what happens to food before it reaches your refrigerator and pantry. You also don’t control whether the kitchen staff prepares food safely before it arrives at your table when dining out. However, there are several ways you can protect yourself from food poisoning at home, in restaurants, and while traveling and grocery shopping.

This article explains how to prevent food poisoning. You’ll also learn what groups are more susceptible to food poisoning, how to report food poisoning, and more. The end of this article shares how to get legal help if you have developed a foodborne illness

Types of Food Poisoning

There are many types of food poisoning. The most common are:

• E. coli (common with certain meats and vegetables)
• Salmonella (common with poultry, eggs, and fish)
• Norovirus, or the stomach flu
• Listeria (common with unpasteurized dairy products and deli meats)

All of these foodborne diseases can make you severely ill.

There are also some less common types of food poisoning that Americans may experience. These include:

• Shigella
• Campylobacter
• Astrovirus
• Ascaris lumbricoides
• Botulism

The symptoms of most types of foodborne illnesses resemble those of ordinary stomach bugs. For example, you may have an upset stomach or experience vomiting or diarrhea. If you still feel sick after several hours, it’s worth a trip to the emergency room to ensure you haven’t contracted a severe illness.

Common Culprits: Food To Handle With Extra Care

It’s easy to tell someone to use common sense when ordering, preparing, and eating foods and beverages. However, it’s helpful to have a list of potentially dangerous foods. This is the best way to avoid the risk of food poisoning altogether.

Some foods that are more likely to cause food poisoning include:

• Leafy greens
• Mushrooms
• Raw food
• Dairy products
• Cold foods
• Ground meats
• Shellfish
• Soft cheese
• Hot dogs

Food Production Protocols and Regulation

Some specific regulations and laws govern food production processes. However, manufacturers and food preparers must also abide by industry practices. Even if a company complies with the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regulations and recommendations, that doesn’t mean you can’t get sick.

Every company must review its unique processes and practices to ensure it doesn’t sell or market unsafe foods. It must also ensure its employees take the necessary precautions to avoid contamination and cross-contamination. If a company violates these standards or regulations, the FDA, health department, and local inspectors can fine it and shut it down until it fully complies.

For example, workers in the food industry must wash their hands constantly. This is the only way to avoid the most severe cases of foodborne disease. They also have to practice good hygiene. Just as people can get sick from bacteria and animal viruses, the same thing is true for humans with unclean hands.

If you or a loved one develops food poisoning and you believe the food manufacturer or preparer is responsible, you can sue.

Preventing Food Poisoning at the Grocery Store

Be careful of what you buy when you go food shopping. Always check expiration dates. If a freezer or refrigerated section doesn’t feel cold, avoid it. The difference of a few degrees can spoil the meat.

Use these other tips when you grocery shop:

• Pick up your packaged and canned foods first. Grab frozen foods and perishables such as meat, poultry, or fish right before you get on line to check out. This keeps them cold for an extended time.
• Do not buy food in cans that are bulging or dented. Avoid cracked jars with loose or bulging lids.
• Buy only pasteurized milk, cheese, or otherwise treated ciders and juices. This is especially true for people with a weakened immune system.
• Only buy refrigerated eggs. Open the carton to ensure the eggs are clean and not cracked.
• Keep meat, poultry, and fish products in separate plastic bags. This prevents the drippings from contaminating other foods in your shopping cart.
• Do not buy frozen seafood if the packages are open, torn, or crushed on the edges. Avoid boxes above the frost line in the store’s freezer. If the package cover is transparent, look for signs of frost or ice crystals. This could mean the store got the fish some time ago, and it could be unsafe.
• Check the cleanliness of the meat or fish counter and the salad bar. For instance, cooked shrimp lying on the same bed of ice as raw fish could become contaminated.
• When shopping for shellfish, buy from markets that get their supplies from state-approved sources. Steer clear of vendors who sell shellfish from roadside stands or the back of a truck. If you plan to harvest your shellfish, heed posted warnings about the safety of the water.
• If it takes more than an hour to get home from the store, bring an ice chest for frozen and perishable foods.

Preventing Food Poisoning at Home

Taking simple precautions in your home can reduce your family’s risk of contracting a foodborne illness. Even if the food you purchase is safe, you or your loved ones could develop food poisoning if you don’t follow simple safety rules. Communicate your kitchen rules to friends and family helping you prepare a meal.

Some actions to avoid food poisoning in your home include:

• Refrigerate all perishable foods until ready for use.
• Never thaw frozen food on the counter. Use the refrigerator, cold water, or microwave.
• Thoroughly wash all fresh fruits and raw vegetables.
• Cook all meat thoroughly and check the protein’s internal temperature before removing it from the heat source.
• Use hot, soapy water to wash all utensils, cutting boards, and countertops after use.
• Do not serve raw food, especially raw meat.
• Always use pasteurized milk and juices.
• Practice handwashing throughout the food preparation and cooking process.
• Remove and discard the outermost leaves of a head of lettuce or cabbage. Bacteria can grow well on the cut surface of a fruit or vegetable.
• Don’t contaminate foods while slicing them on a cutting board. Prevent cross-contamination by using separate cutting boards for different foods, especially raw meat.
• Avoid leaving cut produce at room temperature for several hours.
• Never work with raw poultry, meat, or other uncooked foods while tending to an infant.
• Anyone with a diarrheal illness should avoid preparing or sharing food.
• Wash your hands with soap and water after contact with pet feces.

Prevent Foodborne Illness With Safe Food Storage

Safe food storage is an essential step in preventing food poisoning. Follow the below steps to store your food products safely:

• Refrigerate or freeze perishables immediately.
• Check that your refrigerator’s temperature is 40ºF (5ºC) and your freezer’s temperature is 0ºF (-18ºC) by using a refrigerator/freezer thermometer.
• When storing meat and poultry, ensure their juices cannot escape and contaminate other foods. You can store them in plastic wrap for a day or two. If you plan to use part of the meat, wrap the rest up and place it in the refrigerator.
• Food in the freezer should be either sealed or tightly wrapped.
• Store leftovers in sealed containers.
• Store eggs in their carton on a shelf in the fridge rather than on the door, where the temperature is warmer.
• Keep seafood in the refrigerator or freezer until preparation time.
• Do not crowd the refrigerator or freezer so tightly that air cannot circulate. Check leftovers daily for spoilage. Throw out anything that looks or smells suspicious.
• Mold is a sure sign of spoilage. Although not a significant health threat, mold can make food unappetizing.
• Check labels on cans or jars for storage instructions. It is best to throw out items that should have been refrigerated but weren’t.
• Although some foods remain safe at room temperature, they should still be stored properly. For example, never store potatoes and onions under the sink because leakage from the pipes can damage them. Store them in a cool, dry place. Also, do not store foods near household cleaning products and chemicals.
• Check canned goods and ready-to-eat foods to see whether they are sticky on the outside. This may indicate a leak. Return the cans to the store. The store should notify the FDA.
• Disinfect your fridge and freezer regularly.

How To Safely Cook Your Food

You must cook meat, poultry, and eggs thoroughly. Cook all poultry to an inside temperature of 170ºF (77ºC) for breast meat and 180ºF (82ºC) for thigh meat. Cook ground beef until a food thermometer reads at least 160ºF.

Ground beef can turn brown before disease-causing bacteria die. Use a digital instant-read thermometer to ensure thorough cooking. The risk of contracting an illness increases the pinker the meat. Wash the meat thermometer in between tests to avoid cross-contamination.

Drink and cook with municipal water treated with chlorine or another effective disinfectant.

Potluck Food Safety

If you’re hosting or attending a potluck, barbecue, or picnic, be extra careful with your food preparation. The last thing you want to do when serving food is make your friends and neighbors sick. As food sits, it can harbor harmful bacteria that can make people sick. If their injuries are severe, they may sue you for damages if they can prove that your food caused their severe injury.

The same is true if you get sick from someone else’s dish. If you believe the third party is responsible for your illness, contact a personal injury lawyer to see if you have a valid claim.

Food Safety Tips for Traveling

There is no better breeding ground for bacteria and viral infections than planes, trains, automobiles, and cruise ships.

When you’re traveling, you must expect that chefs are preparing food for hundreds (or thousands) of people. The chances of cross-contamination are high. There’s also a good chance the chef may miss a step or two and end up serving spoiled or contaminated food.

It would be unrealistic to suggest you prepare your meals while on vacation. However, there are a few things you can do to keep yourself safe. Tips for food safety while abroad via cruises and international travel include:

• Be careful when traveling in developing countries. These places may have different food processing regulations.

• Drink bottled water whenever possible. Also, keep showers brief and ensure you do not swallow any water while in the pool, shower, or at waterparks.

• Be curious, but do not eat foods that are served raw or undercooked. You don’t know where the food has been.

• If you aren’t familiar with a particular dish or protein, steer clear of it. For example, if you travel to Japan, they may serve blowfish or pufferfish in their restaurants and hotels. If not prepared correctly, this dish can be poisonous, even lethal. The same rule applies to all fish. Stay away from raw fish and meats to lower your chance of food poisoning.

• Avoid fresh fruit and vegetables unless you can thoroughly wash them. Depending on the fruit, you could contract a severe or even lethal case of food poisoning. For example, the Ackee fruit in Jamaica can cause Jamaican Vomiting Sickness. Stick to fruits that you’re familiar with. You can also trust that the locals will tell you which fruits and veggies are safe.

The general rule regarding food safety while traveling is to use common sense. Stick to cooked food and avoid raw meat. This is true no matter where you may be.

How To Avoid Food Poisoning at Restaurants

A study from 2020 confirmed that 40% of all food poisoning outbreaks were due to sick restaurant employees. This would be a significant cause of foodborne illnesses, given that we spend more than half of our food money at restaurants.

Local health departments inspect restaurants and other food service businesses to ensure they are clean and follow all safety requirements. Before eating there, you can check to see what score the restaurant received. Just look for the most recent inspection report posted prominently on the wall. This is usually near the entrance or where you order and pay for your meal.

In addition to checking a restaurant’s inspection reports, you can also avoid ordering certain types of food when you go out to eat. For example, be careful ordering raw foods. Don’t ask for your red meat to be rare if you’re concerned about food poisoning. You want to ensure it’s cooked to an internal temperature of 160ºF (78ºC). The best way to tell is to see if the meat is still too pink in the middle.

You can also ask the server or manager if they use unpasteurized eggs. You should only eat foods that are safe and free of bacteria and other pathogens.

If the server brings you meat or poultry that the chef didn’t thoroughly cook, send it back to the kitchen. Ask for a clean plate and, for hamburgers, request a new bun. If you bring leftovers home, keep food in the refrigerator and be careful when reheating your food.

One final note about visiting eating establishments is to see if it looks clean. If the floors and counters are dirty or if you notice the staff rinsing glasses instead of washing them with soapy water, leave.

If a restaurant doesn’t try to hide dirt, grease, and unsafe conditions from its patrons, assume the kitchen conditions are the same. These simple steps distinguish between enjoying a nice meal and developing food poisoning.

Which Groups Are at Higher Risk of Food Poisoning?

Some groups of people are at higher risk for severe cases of food poisoning. For example, they must avoid undercooked animal products and soft cheeses. They may also want to steer clear of pates, uncooked hot dogs, and sliced deli meats. These foods can cause listeria infection, a severe foodborne illness.

People who may be more susceptible to food poisoning include:

• Infants
• Pregnant women
• Older adults
• People with a weak immune system or chronic medical illness

If you fall into any of these groups, you must be even more careful about the foods you eat.

Infants

Infants are highly vulnerable to all sorts of illnesses. The same is true for foodborne diseases. A bottle-fed infant is at higher risk for severe infections from salmonella or other bacteria that can grow in a bottle of warm formula.

If you leave a bottle at room temperature for many hours, dump it. Parents must also ensure their baby’s bottles are cleaned and disinfected and that leftover milk formula or juice doesn’t sit in the bottle for many hours.

Pregnant Women

When pregnant, you must be careful about what you eat and drink. You can become very sick if you eat foods contaminated with E. coli, salmonella, or other bacteria. This can also harm your unborn baby.

Foods pregnant women should avoid include:

• Undercooked or raw eggs
• Unwashed fruits and vegetables
• Seafood
• Dairy
• Deli meats
• Hot dogs

Even though many of these foods are ordinarily safe, you don’t want to take any chances while pregnant.

Older Adults

Older adults are typically more vulnerable to illness and disease. The elderly are more likely to have a fragile state of health than other age groups because their immune systems weaken with age and are less resistant to pathogens. Avoid contaminated foods if you’re over 65 or 70 or care for your aging parents.

Food handling is crucial for older people. If they reside in a nursing home or assisted living facility, strangers bring their meals to them. If they don’t wash hands with soapy water, they may contaminate your loved one’s food and drink.

People With Liver Disease

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), liver disease patients are susceptible to infections with a rare but dangerous microbe called Vibrio vulnificus. Oysters contain this microbe.

People with liver disease should avoid eating raw oysters. This group should also avoid clams and other shellfish. They are more likely to make them sick.

Watch for Food Recalls

Food manufacturers, preparers, and retailers make mistakes. If a company learns that one of its products has made people sick or is contaminated, it must issue a recall.

Check online for any recent recalls on food products your family uses. Visit Foodsafety.gov for a list of food recalls. If you have recalled products in your home, throw them out immediately. You can always demand a refund from the store where you bought the items.

Reporting Suspected Food Poisoning

If you suspect you got food poisoning from food sold at a local restaurant or grocery store, report it to your local health department. Infections can arise from various sources, and public health authorities need to understand how a particular disease spreads to take appropriate action to stop it.

The cooperation of both healthy and sick people in public health investigations is vital after an outbreak.

Get Legal Help With a Food Poisoning Claim

If you become ill after eating contaminated food or being exposed to harmful bacteria, you may have a claim for damages. If your illness requires you to spend time in the hospital, you will accrue significant healthcare expenses. You may also miss time from work or, in severe cases, develop a disability.

Contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible after your illness. They will review your case and let you know how best to proceed.

FindLaw’s directory of personal injury attorneys can get you started. Select your state or city to review contact and ratings information for local experts. Your search results will also link you to additional details about the attorneys’ experience with food poisoning cases.