How Is Food Poisoning Caused?

Food poisoning can occur from a snack that you buy at a supermarket, all the way to a full meal at a restaurant. It can happen in many different circumstances, however, the cause will always be one of the following:

• Bacteria has been cross-contaminated
• Food has been insufficiently cooked
• Produce has failed to be refrigerated or covered sufficiently
• Poor hygiene standards have affected the preparation of food

If you need any more information on the causes of food poisoning, check out the Food Standards Agency website for more antecedents of food poisoning.

Different Types Of Claims

The most common type of food poisoning is bacterial food poisoning which begins when food consumed is infected with bacteria or parasites because it has not been cooked properly. This bacteria is not visible to the naked eye and cannot always be detected through smell or taste which is why food poisoning can easily start. Food poisoning claims cover a range of different types of symptoms. Some of the more common kinds of food poisoning claims are detailed below:

• Salmonella is a bacterial disease often contracted through contaminated drinking water, meat, poultry and eggs. People can contract typhoid and gastroenteritis as well as food poisoning. Washing hands and heating food correctly can help prevent the spread of salmonella
• Botulism is a rare form of food poisoning that can be fatal. You can contract foodborne botulism by contaminated food often because it has not been heated at a high enough temperature
• E Coli is a form of bacterial food poisoning known medically as Escherichia coli. It is a bacterium found in the gut. Being hygienic and washing hands is an important step in stopping this form of food poisoning spreading
• Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get infected and sick with norovirus. Consuming contaminated food or water and touching contaminated surfaces and then putting your unwashed hands in your mouth are two main common causes.
• Giardia is a tiny parasite (germ) that causes the diarrheal disease giardiasis. Giardia is found on surfaces or in soil, food, or water that has been contaminated with feces (poop) from infected people or animals.You can get giardiasis if you swallow Giardia germs. The most common way people get sick is by swallowing contaminated drinking water.

Tell-tale Signs Something is Wrong in a Restaurant

If you have developed food poisoning and incurred pain, suffering and lost earnings as a result then you should be seeking compensation. However, it is always best to seek prevention rather than cure, so, with this in mind; you should aim to avoid the following when dining in a restaurant.

• Dirty knives, forks, spoons and plates
• Unclean floors and surfaces
• Overflow of waste
• Poor staff hygiene
• Untied long hair

What Are The Next Steps?

Gather Witnesses

Any claim for contaminated food eaten in a restaurant will be immeasurably stronger if it can be proved that another person who ate at the restaurant at roughly the same time has also suffered food poisoning. Perhaps it will be a friend, an acquaintance, a family member or even a stranger who is making a separate and independent claim; whatever the case, multiple cases of food poisoning are a very good indicator that something is amiss in the food safety systems of a particular kitchen.

Visit Your GP

One complicating factor in these types of personal injury claims is the varying incubation period for some food poisoning illnesses. While some will become manifest after only a few hours, others will take two or three days to develop. However long it takes a person to develop the illness, for both the sake of their health and the chances of any compensation claim they decide to make, seeing a doctor as soon as possible can make the world of difference.

Keep A Record

You should record your own account of the accident in a journal. Any financial loss due to the accident should also be recorded including things such as loss of income and medical bills.

Furthermore, you should:

• Write a list of everything you ate in the previous 24 hours
• Keep all relevant receipts from restaurants or supermarkets
• Keep suspect food, if you still have it, in its packaging

Contact First Personal Injury

Then all that is left to do is get in touch with us and let us help you start your claim.

How Much Compensation for Food Poisoning?

The table below gives an indication of the amount of compensation you might receive at the end of a successful food poisoning claim. For a more accurate idea of how much you could claim, you should contact us.