Food Poisoning
Food Poisoning is an illness which occurs after eating or drinking anything that is contaminated by germs or sometimes chemicals. Symptoms depend on the type of germ or chemical, but diarrhoea, sickness, stomach pains and sometimes fever are the most common.
Many cases of food poisoning occur in the home at Christmas and in summer from BBQs. You can not tell if food is contaminated by food poisoning bacteria so even food which looks and tastes alright can cause food poisoning. It is important to follow 'use by' dates and storage instructions on food products.
Advice on food hygiene in the home can be found at:
If you think you have suffered food poisoning from eating out
First consult your GP to receive the appropriate treatment. The GP should also ask you to submit a faecal sample so that the specific organism, which is causing your illness, can be identified. We need this information because there are other illnesses that can cause similar symptoms.
If a food poisoning bacteria is identified by the laboratory the results will be reported to Environmental Health.
We do not normally investigate single complaints direct from members of the public who think they have food poisoning as we cannot be certain it came from a food premises. However, if you are aware of a number of people such as guests at the same function with food poisoning like symptoms, please contact us at the address below.
Contact us
Environmental Health
Merlin House, Merlin Way, Ilkeston. DE74RA
Telephone 0115 907 2244
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