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Food poisoning

Food poisoning can happen when you eat out or by poor hygiene practices at home.

Find out more about the symptoms of food poisoning and what to do on the NHS website. Most people with food poisoning recover at home and don't need any specific treatment, but if you’re concerned, it’s best to contact your GP.

Preventing food poisoning at home

By following a simple set of rules, you can ensure good hygiene in your kitchen and help prevent food poisoning.

Find out more about food safety and hygiene at home on our website or get advice from the NHS website on how to prepare and cook food safely.

Investigating food poisoning

If you suspect you or someone you care for may have a foodborne illness, contact us. Often calls from concerned members of the public are how outbreaks are first detected.

Initially we will contact you for information. In the more serious cases, we then ask more detailed questions and formal investigations may be carried out.

If we contact you to find out more about an illness you had, we may ask the following questions:

  • what symptoms were suffered and when did they start?
  • what foods have you eaten within the past 72 hours?
  • where have you eaten within the past 72 hours?
  • have any members of the family suffered any similar symptoms?
  • have any pets or animals that you've been in contact with been ill?
  • have you visited any open farms?
  • have you been in contact with potentially contaminated water i.e. streams, rivers, swimming pools?
  • are you a food handler, or do you work with the young, elderly or people who are immuno-suppressed?
  • if you are ringing about your child, we will need to know how old the child is and whether they attend a nursery school/crèche, playgroup or a similar place

Food sampling

Our food sampling programme aims to ensure that food for sale or produced throughout Newark and Sherwood meets legal standards for safety and hygiene.

Generally we target high risk foods in response to food poisoning outbreaks or incidences of food contamination. Samples will only be taken by our officers authorised to carry out such work under the Food Safety Act 1990.