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Food Safety Basics: Learn to Prevent Food Poisoning.
What is food poisoning?
It's estimated there are more than nine million cases of gastroenteritis each year in England. For an increasing number of people, it's due to food poisoning, something that's preventable.
Gastroenteritis describes symptoms affecting digestion, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain. Food poisoning is thetype of gastroenteritis caused by eating or drinking something contaminated with micro-organisms or germs, or by toxic substances produced by these germs.
These illnesses are often accompanied by fever, muscle aches, shivering and feeling exhausted.
Parents often suspect food poisoning every time their kids get diarrhea and vomiting.
Fortunately, food poisoning doesn't occur that frequently,as most cases of diarrhea and vomiting in kids are caused by simple viral infections that kids get in daycare or school.
Still, food poisoning is common, as the CDC estimates that there are about 76 million cases of food poisoning in the United States each year. Although most of these cases are mild, about 325,000 people with food poisoning are hospitalized and 5,000 die each year.
Since youngchildren are among the groups most at risk for getting serious and even life-threatening cases of food poisoning, it is important for parents to learn how to recognize and prevent them from occurring.
Causes of Food Poisoning
Food contaminated by bacteria, viruses and parasites (foodborne pathogens) can make you sick. Some people can have foodborne illness, also known as "food poisoning", and noteven know they have it.
Food poisoning is caused by :-
 Bacteria or their poisons
Viruses
Metals
Chemicals
Poisonous plants

Remember, food poisoning does not just happen – it is caused – and this is due to something going wrong in the chain of events before the food is eaten. It is thought that many food poisoning incidents occur in people’s own homes.
Food poisoning caused by bacteriais most common.
 Foods which have been contaminated by these harmful pathogens look, smell and taste quite normal.
One of the main reasons for food poisoning is the storage of high risk foods at room temperature for too long e.g. sandwiches made up in advance and not chilled.
Other reasons are:
 Undercooking foods
Cross contamination between raw and cooked foods
Poor hygiene practices of theperson handling the food
Careless use of left-overs
Not reheating food thoroughly

Food Poisoning Symptoms
Food poisoning symptoms can vary depending on what is triggering them, but they usually include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramps.
Other symptoms, like when someone has an E. coli O157 infection, can include bloody diarrhea, and complications such as hemolytic uremicsyndrome (HUS). Or fever, when they have salmonellosis (a Salmonella infection).
Toxins, such as with botulism, can cause fatal neurotoxic symptoms, including double vision, and trouble swallowing, talking and breathing.
Depending on the cause, symptoms of food poisoning may occur a few hours or a few days after eating a contaminated food.
In addition of looking for a pattern of symptoms, such aseveryone in the family got sick right a few hours after eating at the same restaurant, stool cultures can sometimes help identify the parasite or bacteria that is causing the symptoms of food poisoning. Stool tests can also sometimes identify bacterial toxins and viruses.
Not surprisingly, many people have food poisoning and never know it.
Food Poisoning Treatments
Like vomiting and diarrheafrom a stomach virus, food poisoning treatments are usually aimed at preventing dehydration.
Antibiotics are usually not necessary or helpful for most cases of food poisoning, although for some severe infections, like shigellosis (a Shigella infection), and food poisoning caused by parasites, treatment is necessary. See your pediatrician if you think that your child has food poisoning, especially...