Food poisonings and food borne illnesses

'Food poisoning' is typically associated with diarrhoea and/or vomiting along with other symptoms such as nausea, fever, abdominal pain, headache. 

If you have suffered from symptoms of vomiting and/or diarrhoea, you need to stay off work or school until you have been free of symptoms and your stools have returned to normal for 48 hours. Food handlers and children under 5 may need to be excluded for a longer period and should contact us on the telephone number below.

Anyone who thinks they have food poisoning should consult their General Practitioner (GP)/Doctor as soon as practicable for advice on treating the symptoms and, where possible, confirmation of their illness.

GPs, hospitals and laboratories notify both confirmed and suspected cases of food poisoning to the Council's Commercial Section of Environmental Health. Officers from the section will investigate cases to control the spread of the organism responsible for causing the disease and to attempt to establish the source. They may need to notify other local authorities where residents from outside the County may be affected.

Officers of the Commercial Section are involved in the investigation and control of all diseases which may have an environmental source (e.g. food borne, water borne, air borne).

In addition to food borne diseases which are notifiable by law, the following diseases are also routinely investigated when they occur: Legionnaires' disease, Psittacosis, Cryptosporidiosis, Giardiasis

Preventing Food Poisoning at home 
In order to prevent the spread of gastrointestinal illness within the home, you should:

• Thoroughly cook all foods especially meat, poultry and eggs. Cooking destroys food poisoning bacteria.
• Avoid contaminating cooked food by preventing contact with raw food, dirty knives or chopping boards etc.
• Raw and cooked food should be separated in the refrigerator.
• Ensure your fridge and freezer are operating at the correct temperatures (fridge 1º - 4ºC and freezers, -18ºC).
• Ensure that raw meat and poultry is completely thawed before cooking.
• Chopping boards, surfaces and utensils used for preparing food should be thoroughly washed with hot water and detergent.
• Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water:                      
  • After going to the toilet 
  • After contact with pets and animals
  • After changing a baby's nappy
  • After handling clothes or linen soiled with faeces
  • Before preparing or serving food, and after handling raw meat and raw eggs
  • Before eating food

For further information visit the FoodLink website listed below.

For further information or advice, please contact:

Environmental Health Commercial -
Tel: 01432 261761
Fax: 01432 261982
Email: ethelpline@herefordshire.gov.uk

Further information regarding the most common food poisoning organisms can be found on the Health Protection Agency website listed below.