Symptoms

Symptoms of foodborne illnesses include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Stomach cramps
• Headaches

Foodborne illnesses can cause serious health issues. In some cases it may be life-threatening. 

Read more about symptoms of foodborne illnesses

Causes of contamination

Food or beverages are contaminated by harmful:

• Bacteria
• Viruses
• Parasites
• Other agents

Common foodborne illnesses

Common foodborne illnesses include:

• Salmonella
• Norovirus
• E. coli
• Listeria
• Campylobacter
• Shigella
• Hepatitis A

Risk factors

The top five risk factors that lead to foodborne illnesses are:

• Not correctly washing hands before preparing food
• Not keeping food at the correct hot or cold temperatures
• Undercooking animal foods
• Cross-contamination between foods
• Using foods from unsafe sources

Prevention

• Handwashing: Wash hands often
• Clean: Keep kitchen surfaces and food preparation utensils clean
• Cook: Make sure food is cooked to the right temperature and keep hot foods hot
• Chill: Properly cool hot foods and keep cold foods cold
• Separate: Avoid cross-contamination by keeping raw and ready-to-eat foods separate