"foodpoisoning" news and stories

Food poisoning often occurs after eating a meal in a large, social setting such as a picnic, cookout, or cafeteria. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), foods in these settings are often prepared early and left unrefrigerated for long periods, allowing bacteria to form on the food. Food poisoning symptoms typically begin within two to six hours after eating the contaminated food. Signs of food poisoning are most often vomiting, fever, chills, headache, bloody diarrhea, weakness, and severe abdominal cramps. Treatment from a doctor is rarely necessary, unless dehydration occurs, says the NLM. To prevent dehydration, drink plenty of fluids, but avoid milk or drinks with caffeine. You should also avoid solid foods while severely nauseated. And antibiotics aren't usually needed to manage food poisoning.

I'm sure most of us have experienced food poisoning at some sort of summer get-together. We likely pinpoint the sickness to something we ate, often that strange tasting potato salad that looked good on the outside. The association of our discomfort with eating certain foods may then last a lifetime. Just as important, however, we may experience some sort of generalized bad feeling toward an activity, such as future church socials or family reunions. I wonder if anyone can trace the loss of their religious faith to a rancid salad... Just thinking.

I recently came across a brief Q&A about mayonnaise and food poisoning on the Mayo Clinic's website. Surely someone at MayoClinic.com must be aware of the irony here. At any rate, with the picnic season gearing up, some of the tips on the page are worth mentioning. I'm not sure how many folks out there make homemade mayo on a regular basis, but according to the Mayo Clinic, homemade is not the way to go if you're planning on using it for your picnic potato salad. Store-bought mayo is made with pasteurized eggs, which, according to the MC, pose a far lower risk of bacterial growth in your side dish than mayo made with raw eggs. Foods with mayonnaise-based dressings should also be kept on ice during serving, just to be on the safe side.

[Photo: Kraft Foods]

Down in Brisbane, Australia, a woman was arrested and charged over poisoning at the towns Sizzler restaurant.

The woman had initially told staff of green pellets floating in a vat of soup but it appears she placed them there herself. These pellets turned out to be rat poison. Jacqueline Forbes, 57, was charged with two counts of contaminating goods and four counts of intending to cause grievous bodily harm after four people reported experiencing a reaction.

Police confirmed that she initially reported seeing pellets in the vegetable soup, but left the restaurant before police arrived to question her. While the restaurant chain is losing huge amounts of money while they stay closed, they were criticized for taking 37 days to report the affair to the police.

 

 

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