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It's probably fair to say that many individuals in the contemporary era do not regard food poisoning with the utmost seriousness. While many people practice basic hygiene like washing hands after touching raw poultry and separating cutting boards, how many can truthfully claim they've never reused barbecue utensils or left cooked rice out at room temperature for hours? But before we dwell on that hypothetical, and instead of stating the obvious that such practices are essential, it's more informative to explore the bodily turmoil that occurs when things go awry.

Inside the Infection: The Different Ways Bacteria and Viruses Attack

At the risk of stating the obvious, food poisoning occurs when you eat food contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses or toxins – but that doesn’t mean it always works the same way. “Some bacteria, such as Bacillus cereus – sometimes found in reheated rice – produce toxins before the food is eaten, meaning they can cause symptoms such as sudden vomiting within hours,” explains a medical expert who frequently treats both children and adults with food poisoning. Bacillus cereus also produces a second variety of toxic substance in the small intestine, which can result in diarrhea. “Different organisms, like Salmonella and certain E. coli strains, become active post-consumption and frequently induce prolonged symptoms by inflaming the intestinal lining.”

In theory, a clinician could infer the causative agent from the incubation period—the time between eating and symptom onset. However, in everyday practice, this precise identification is uncommon.

“All of these bacteria work in different ways,” points out an infectious disease scientist. “Campylobacter jejuni bacteria, which you often find in poultry, are spiral-shaped and corkscrew their way through your gut lining. That’s different from, say, Shigatoxigenic E. coli, which excretes Shiga toxins. Both make you sick with gut inflammation and diarrhoea.” Thus, despite the availability of remedies including antimicrobials, clinicians often struggle to select the appropriate therapy without knowing the exact culprit.

“Upon visiting a physician for a suspected foodborne illness, antibiotic treatment is generally not the first course of action,” the scientist adds. “The reason for that is that if you’ve got the Shiga toxin-producing variant of E. coli, and if you then kill all those bugs with antibiotics, they’re just going to release all the toxins inside them and make you even more sick. So without a specific infection diagnosis, it’s quite often safer to just let things get better on their own.”

How to Avoid Illness: Key Food Safety Practices

What are the best practices to prevent these distressing symptoms? “Some of the most classic advice is still relevant,” the scientist advises. “Oysters consistently pose a hazard, and consuming any uncooked meat is risky—a trend towards eating undercooked, pink-centered burgers is particularly concerning.” To explain: if you are about to eat beef, you need to sear the parts that have been exposed to air to kill most of the bacteria likely to be living on it. With steak, that just means the outside, but with mince, that’s almost all of it.

Washing chicken – still bizarrely popular in some circles – is an absolute no-no, as it’s likely to spread bacteria all over your kitchen and utensils, rather than reducing your chance of infection. Obviously, you should be keeping things clean, keeping raw meat separate from other food, quickly cooling cooked food and refrigerating it within two hours of cooking, and ensuring food is properly cooked, perhaps using a meat thermometer. “Hand hygiene, crucial for stopping the spread of numerous infections, is equally vital here,” authorities stress. “This translates to comprehensive handwashing following contact with food items and after any toilet visit.”

Navigating Illness: Treatment and When to Seek Help

For most otherwise healthy adults, a bout of food poisoning, while unpleasant, is typically self-limiting and not cause for panic. “The main risk from food poisoning is dehydration, which is why it is important to drink plenty of water and supplement with oral rehydration salts when you are experiencing it,” experts caution. “Gradual return to a normal diet supports recuperation; starting with simple, bland foods like bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast is frequently suggested for sensitive stomachs.”

In more extreme cases food poisoning can lead to sepsis, which can include symptoms such as a fast heart rate and light-headedness. If you feel this might be happening, call the GP straight away. “In a minority of cases, you might also develop post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which can be characterised by abdominal pain and bloating,” the specialist adds. Persistent symptoms warrant a consultation with a physician.

On a positive note, most infections are short-lived, with the immune system effectively neutralizing the threat within a short period. The lesson? Perhaps be more mindful about utensil hygiene at your next barbecue.