How to Investigate Food Poisoning

Food poisoning can be classified as an infectious disease due to the transmission of bacterium through the ingestion of contaminated food products. Though getting food poisoning is preventable, contamination is always a possibility. Food poisoning can occur through a variety of ways, such as eating foods that have been contaminated with Salmonella. Whether you're in the food industry or a consumer, once you suspect food poisoning, it is important to determine the exact cause of the food poisoning to prevent a community outbreak.

Instructions

Investigation

• 1

  If you're a proprietor of a restaurant, it is your responsibility to locate the cause of food poisoning in your establishment. For example, what possible food products could have led to the food poisoning? Examine your kitchen to see if food-handling guidelines were broken, such as raw meat coming into contact with other food items or food handlers not washing their hands.

• 2

  As a proprietor, you will need to notify your local health department to determine what type of bacterium resulted in the food poisoning and to also prevent a larger community outbreak. The local health department will need samples of suspected food products that resulted in the contamination. You will need to close your establishment until all issues with your food safety have been cleared.

• 3

  If you're a consumer, it is important to be seen by a doctor to identify the exact bacterium that resulted in your poisoning. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you also need to contact your local health department once you have been contaminated by a food product.

• 4

  Help public health officials when you're part of a food poisoning case. Even if you've gotten better from your symptoms, you can still help public health officials identify whether your case was an isolated incidence or part of a broader problem, such as a contaminated food outbreak. Tell the public health official if you ate a food source at home or if you ate in a restaurant and then came down with symptoms.

• 5

  Give your public health official any information that may be useful. For example, did any of your family members eat any of the same food products and come down sick, or did they eat at the same restaurant as you?

• 6

  Allow your public health official or local health department to compile information based on your given information. This will allow them to investigate where the food poisoning originated from.