Food Safety
www.foodsafety.gc.ca
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Food Poisoning
Food Poisoning and Its Symptoms
There are 14 common causes of food poisoning. Learn to recognize the symptoms and understand the many important steps that you can take to protect yourself and your family.
- Common causes of food poisoning: You may have had food poisoning and not even known it. It's sometimes called foodborne illness.
- Food-related illness: Food poisoning (also known as "foodborne illness") happens when a person gets sick from eating food that has been contaminated with a harmful microorganism.
- Common causes of food poisoning:
- Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning and Domoic Acid: You are at risk if you dig for shellfish (like clams and mussels) from restricted areas on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and along the St. Lawrence River.
- Botulism: Improperly prepared home-canned, low-acid foods (for example corn, green beans, mushrooms, spaghetti sauce, salmon) are most likely to represent a risk for botulism.
- Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni): A common form of exposure is through cross-contamination from raw poultry.
- Clostridium perfringens: Problems with cooling and heating in improperly handled leftover can be a risk.
- Cyclospora cayetanensis: You can protect yourself by properly washing your fruits and vegetables before cooking, freezing or eating them.
- E. coli O157:H7: This bacteria is destroyed when food is cooked to a safe internal temperature. Use a digital food thermometer to be sure.
- Listeria monocytogenes: There are many ways that you can minimize your risk, including certain foods that may be avoided.
- Paralytic shellfish poisoning: Eating contaminated shellfish will put you at risk. Shellfish should be purchased from a reputable retail store or restaurant.
- Salmonella: Cooking a chicken? A turkey? We recommend that you cook the stuffing in a separate dish.
- Shigella: If you think you are infected with Shigella or any other gastrointestinal illness, wear disposable gloves when preparing food and follow safe food handling procedures.
What to Do if Someone Gets Sick From Food
If you suspect that your health has been compromised because of food, contact your family physician or local health authority who will follow-up with the appropriate treatment. If they determine that food appears to be the likely cause of illness (rather than on-site preparation), they will contact the CFIA to initiate an investigation.
- Report a food safety or labelling concern: Whether it's an expired label, an unclean store, or food poisoning from a packaged food, find out where to direct your concern.
- If you believe a product is a health and safety risk, you can report that potential food safety
incident to the CFIA:
- by contacting an area recall coordinator;
- by using the Internet:
(CFIA Web Comments and Feedback Form); or - by phoning 1-800-442-2342
- Restaurant complaints: Find the restaurant inspection authority nearest you.
Tips for Travelling
There's nothing like getting away on a vacation to help you relax and unwind. Take precautions in order to stay healthy on your trip and to return home healthy.
- Be aware and declare! When you are travelling, remember that many foods are not allowed into Canada.
- Travel health: Be aware of the health conditions in the country where you will be travelling, as well as the precautions you should take before you leave.
