Worried About Food Poisoning? Here’s What You Need to Know

Food poisoning isn’t the first thing you think about when you grab a quick snack or eat a delicious meal. But once nausea, vomiting, or stomach pain hits, it’s hard to think of anything else. The reality is that the food we eat, even when it looks perfectly fresh, can be contaminated long before it reaches your plate.

Every year, about 48 million people get sick from foodborne illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of those, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die. The CDC uses the terms “foodborne illness” and “food poisoning” interchangeably—and either one can make you feel miserable.

“You can’t worry constantly about the food you are eating, but you can be cautious,” says Karen Jubanyik, MD, a Yale Medicine emergency department specialist.

“The average person shouldn’t panic. If you are a young, healthy adult, your body will take care of the vast majority of these illnesses by itself,” Dr. Jubanyik says. But if you are 65 or older, pregnant, or have a weakened immune system, food poisoning can become much more serious. That’s why it’s important to understand what to look for—and when to take action.

Food poisoning happens when you eat or drink something that’s been contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, or toxins. Some of the most common causes include salmonella, norovirus, E. coli, listeria, and campylobacter. These aren’t rare organisms—they’re found in foods we eat every day.

Contaminants can infiltrate food at any time—from when a fruit or vegetable, for instance, is still growing in the fields (subject to animal waste and other contaminants) through harvesting, processing, shipping, and preparation.

These agents then spread to humans in different ways, through contaminated food or drink, fecal-oral transmission, or from touching a contaminated surface that was touched by someone carrying one.

In 2019, the CDC estimated that 53,300 hospitalizations and 931 deaths were caused by seven major pathogens: Campylobacter spp., Clostridium perfringens, invasive Listeria monocytogenes, norovirus, nontyphoidal Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), and Toxoplasma gondii.

And while we hear a lot about salmonella or E. coli, norovirus actually causes more than half of all foodborne illness in the U.S. Listeria, on the other hand, is especially dangerous for pregnant people because it can spread to the unborn baby or cause sepsis, a life-threatening infection. Dr. Jubanyik gives a good example: melon. “Once a melon is cut, bacteria like listeria can grow quickly. If you’re pregnant, it’s important to eat cut melon within two hours—or within one hour if it’s above 90 degrees outside,” she says. That’s why she recommends avoiding pre-cut melon altogether.

Unfortunately, food recalls due to contamination are becoming more common. A wide variety of foods have been recalled in recent years—from eggs to protein shakes and even ice cream. In one 2024 outbreak, listeria bacteria was found in ready-to-eat meats, causing nine deaths and almost 60 hospitalizations across 18 states, and leading to a massive recall of more than 3,500 tons of food.

Warmer temperatures that may be caused by climate change allow bacteria to multiply faster, especially in food that’s been left out too long, Dr. Jubanyik says—and that tends to be a bigger threat in the summer. Bacteria grows rapidly in temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees, a range referred to as the “danger zone,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service.

“Foods left out at hotter temperatures are more likely to grow bacteria,” Dr. Jubanyik says. It can fester in the potato salad sitting in the heat too long, or in a meal prepared by someone who didn’t wash their hands properly.

It’s also happening because food production has become faster, larger, and more complex than in the past, she says. Today, more food is processed in big facilities and shipped longer distances, including from countries with different safety standards than the U.S. The longer food is handled, transported, and stored, the more chances there are for something to go wrong, Dr. Jubanyik says.

“The chance for things to slip through the cracks puts our food supply at higher risk,” she says.

Dr. Jubanyik points out that even the way we shop and eat has changed. “Twenty years ago, you’d rarely find pre-washed, pre-cut fruit or vegetables or bags of salad mix in your grocery store. But now, a lot of the food in the produce section is heavily processed. With every step of processing, there are more people touching the food, and the food might be out of refrigeration longer. That raises the risk for contamination,” says Dr. Jubanyik. She recommends washing all produce, even if it is labeled “prewashed” or “triple washed.”

You may not know immediately if you have food poisoning. Symptoms include cramps or stomach pain, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting, which can show up days, weeks, or months after consuming contaminated food, which makes it hard to trace. In some cases, food poisoning is obvious—like when several people get sick after eating the same meal, Dr. Jubanyik says. “But if you’re the only one who’s ill, it can be difficult to tell whether it’s food poisoning or something else, including a serious condition like appendicitis, a bowel obstruction, inflammatory bowel disease, or a gallbladder infection. That’s one reason why it’s important to pay attention and seek medical attention if symptoms are prolonged or otherwise unusual, she says.

While bacteria, such as salmonella, can be identified by examining stool samples in a laboratory, not all infections can be confirmed so easily. Moreover, laboratory diagnoses can take days for results to become available.

The good news is that most people recover from food poisoning at home without needing to see a doctor and without medical treatment.

Hydration is a key to recovery, Dr. Jubanyik says. That means drinking plenty of water, especially during the first 24 hours when you’re likely losing fluids through vomiting or diarrhea. She recommends drinking water the first day of a food poisoning illness, and a liquid with electrolytes, such as Pedialyte, on the second day to replace fluids, salts, and minerals lost from severe diarrhea. Avoid sports drinks like Gatorade—despite their popularity, they’re not formulated to treat dehydration from illness, according to the CDC. In addition, patients with diabetes can get quite ill with hyperglycemic conditions such as diabetic ketoacidosis if they drink large quantities of liquids containing high levels of sugar.

Sticking to a bland diet can help settle your stomach. For diarrheal illnesses, think bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast (sometimes called the BRAT diet). Skip caffeine, foods high in fat and sugar, and dairy until you’re feeling better. “It’s not critical to not eat normally for a day or two since the vast majority of healthy Americans have enough reserves in their body. But you do have to drink fluids,” Dr. Jubanyik says. “Let your body get rid of whatever it needs to get rid of, at least for the first day or two.”

Rest is also key. Your body needs time and energy to fight off the infection. And for most people, that’s enough.

If you are at risk for severe illness from food poisoning, you should call your doctor right away if you notice symptoms—don’t wait, Dr. Jubanyik says. Call immediately if you are pregnant and have flu-like symptoms or fever. If you’re a young healthy adult, you may want to seek medical attention if your illness lasts beyond three or four days, she says.

The following severe symptoms are signs that you should get immediate medical attention or go to a hospital emergency department:

• Bloody diarrhea, or stools that are black or tarry, or contain pus or blood

• Six or more loose stools in a day

• Frequent vomiting

• Severe pain in the abdomen or rectum

• Change in mental state, such as irritability, lack of energy, or confusion

• Nervous system symptoms

• High fever, or any fever in a child or infant

• Diarrhea for more than three days, or more than one day in a child or infant

• Dehydration symptoms such as confusion, fainting, dark urine or no urine

In the emergency department, doctors may not be able to cure the illness itself, but they can provide supportive care, Dr. Jubanyik says. That often includes intravenous (IV) fluids for dehydration or medications to manage symptoms. In some cases, antibiotics may be used, but not all foodborne illnesses respond to them—and sometimes, they can even make things worse. Most cases of food poisoning do not require antibiotics. Depending on your symptoms, you might also need tests to rule out other causes for your symptoms.

If you want to avoid food poisoning in the future, the best thing you can do is pay attention to how your food is prepared, handled, and stored, especially if you are at high risk for severe illness from food poisoning. Dr. Jubanyik recommends eating at places you trust and sticking to foods you’re familiar with, especially if you’re in a high-risk group.

At home, preparing food properly is critical, she says. The USDA provides detailed information on preparing food safely, including ideal cooking temperatures for particular foods, proper storage advice, and guidance on practices such as washing hands.

It’s also smart to be aware of the types of foods that have the potential to spread toxins. The CDC provides a list of foods that includes raw milk, eggs, or dough; and the holiday turkey. The CDC also provides a special list for pregnant women.

Keep an eye on recalls. “One of the reasons we see so many recalls is that we have a rigorous detection system,” says Dr. Jubanyik, who gives ample credit to FoodNet, the U.S. government’s foodborne diseases active surveillance network established in 1995 to collect data that helps inform recalls. “We’re able to identify outbreaks sooner and better than in the past and warn people,” she says.

The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Services publishes a list of recalls and public health alerts. The Food and Drug Administration also publishes a list of recalled FDA-regulated products, including foods and beverages.

If you think you have a foodborne illness and you are in a high-risk group or simply concerned, call your primary care physician—or 911 if it’s an emergency, Dr. Jubanyik says. If you or someone else is sick and you suspect a particular food, you can also report your case to your state’s Department of Health, which helps track potential outbreaks and may prevent others from getting sick.