It is very easy to get food poisoning, and very easy to avoid.
It is also quite horrible when you get it.
You can vomit, have diarrhoea (the runs), stomach pains and sometimes a high temperature. It is different depending on what sort of germ you have got.
Germs causing food poisoning come in infected food or drink or by close contact with someone carrying them around.
- The germs mostly come from what doctors call excreta, polite people call body wastes, but everyone else calls poo.
- That's why you must wash your hands very carefully after you have been to the toilet.
- The germs can live for a while on taps and dirty towels.
Other things to remember to avoid food poisoning:
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- Wash your hands before cooking.
- Old food - check it is not out of date by looking at the USE BY date on the package.
- Keep perishable food like meat and eggs properly. Put them in a fridge or larder as soon as you get home. Don't put cooked and uncooked things together in the fridge.
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- Make sure food is cooked properly. Look at the instructions on the packets or check in a cook book. Food should not be reheated more than once as this can allow germs to breed. Hot food should be served piping hot.
- Keep a clean kitchen.
- Don't let pets near your food or where you prepare it.
If you do get food poisoning use a disinfectant (special strong cleaning liquid) to clean everywhere hands touch, especially toilets, taps and places where food is eaten or prepared.
- Keep defrosting food at the bottom of the fridge.
