{"id":6013,"date":"2022-06-20T06:41:47","date_gmt":"2022-06-20T06:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chef.shangeryou.com\/12-surprising-facts-about-food-poisoning\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T09:52:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T09:52:31","slug":"12-surprising-facts-about-food-poisoning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chef.shangeryou.com\/fr\/12-surprising-facts-about-food-poisoning\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Surprising Facts About Food Poisoning"},"content":{"rendered":"Did you know that an estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/foodsafety\/food-poisoning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>1 in 6<\/u><\/a>\u00a0Americans (translating to 48 million people) get sick every year from food-borne diseases? Around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/foodsafety\/food-poisoning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>128,000 <\/u><\/a>\u00a0of these will end up requiring medical care, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/foodsafety\/food-poisoning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>3,000<\/u><\/a>\u00a0will lose their lives.\n\nIf the numbers above are higher than you expected, just wait \u2013 there are many more things about food poisoning you may not have realized yet.\n\nWe spent some time looking for these surprising facts about food poisoning, including that it can cause cancer, chicken is the biggest culprit, and you may be creating a dangerous situation by washing meat or taking antacids.\n\n\n<h2><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">What is Food Poisoning? <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\nFood poisoning is when food becomes unsafe because toxins, viruses, or bacteria have contaminated it. Such food causes food-borne illnesses.\n\nAustralia\u2019s Healthdirect.gov.au <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthdirect.gov.au\/food-poisoning\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>notes<\/u><\/a>\u00a0that certain toxins are found naturally in the food while other contaminants are introduced during the transportation, production, cooking, and storage phases.\n\nFood contamination often results from bad handling and insufficient cooking.\n\nOn the other hand, certain foods are naturally poisonous. The publisher of health information, WebMD.com, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/food-recipes\/ss\/slideshow-toxic-foods\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>lists<\/u><\/a>\u00a0some foods that can be naturally toxic, including two types of deadly mushrooms, the death cap (<em>Amanita phalloides<\/em>) and the destroying angel (<em>Amanita virosa<\/em>).\n\nhttps:\/\/www.chefstemp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Depositphotos_stock-photo-young-woman-suffering-stomach-pain.html_S.jpg\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><strong>1. <\/strong>Food Poisoning Symptoms Can Take More Than 3 Weeks to Appear<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\nEven though symptoms of food poisoning can begin soon after eating the offending food, they could also take <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthdirect.gov.au\/food-poisoning\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>three<\/u><\/a>\u00a0weeks to show and, in some instances like Listeria, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthdirect.gov.au\/food-poisoning\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>70<\/u><\/a>\u00a0days.\n\nMayoClinic.org, the nonprofit academic medical center, lists some of the most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/food-poisoning\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20356230\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>common symptoms<\/u><\/a>\u00a0of food poisoning:\n<ul>\n <li>Nausea<\/li>\n <li>Vomiting<\/li>\n <li>Bloody or watery diarrhea<\/li>\n <li>Abdominal cramps and pain<\/li>\n <li>Fever<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nEven though food poisoning usually resolves itself within a few hours or days, MayoClinic.org advises that you should <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/food-poisoning\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20356230\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>consult a doctor<\/u><\/a>\u00a0if your diarrhea lasts more than three days, your stools and vomit become bloody, or you\u2019re vomiting to the extent that you are no longer able to keep liquids down.\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">2. <\/span><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">Dehydration is one of the Most Common Food Poisoning Complications <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\nBut how is dehydration related to food poisoning? The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niddk.nih.gov\/health-information\/digestive-diseases\/food-poisoning\/definition-facts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>answer<\/u><\/a>: Dehydration is triggered because food poisoning often causes diarrhea and vomiting, which deplete body fluids.\n\n<a href=\"#_noHeaderPrefixedContent\"><u>According<\/u><\/a>\u00a0to MedicalNewsToday.com, another complication caused by food poisoning is gastroenteritis. The same source defines <a href=\"#_noHeaderPrefixedContent\"><u>gastroenteritis<\/u><\/a>\u00a0as \u201ca condition involving inflammation of the lining of the gut \u2013 in particular, of the stomach and intestines.\u201d\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">3. Food Poisoning is A Coward, Targeting the Weak <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\nFood poisoning seems to primarily target those whose ability to fight germs and sickness is compromised.\n\nThe CDC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/foodsafety\/food-poisoning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>reports<\/u><\/a>\u00a0that young children under five and adults over 65 are adversely affected by food poisoning because they have a weakened immune system.\n\nHowever, food poisoning is still quite common among the greater population. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/food-safety\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>numbers<\/u><\/a>\u00a0cited by the WHO support this view:\n<ul>\n <li>Around 600 million people fall ill after eating contaminated food, and 420,000 die yearly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nIn low-income countries, US$110 billion is lost annually in medical expenses and lost productivity as a result of unsafe food.\n\nhttps:\/\/www.chefstemp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Depositphotos_stock-photo-young-boy-in-hospital.html_S.jpg\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">4. Food Poisoning Can Cause Cancer<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\nIf you don\u2019t take food poisoning seriously, maybe you should because it can cause cancer.\n\nThe WHO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/food-safety\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>confirmed<\/u><\/a>\u00a0this reality: \u201cFood-borne illnesses are usually infectious or toxic in nature and caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances entering the body through contaminated food. Chemical contamination can lead to acute poisoning or long-term diseases, such as cancer.&#8221;\n\nThe WHO puts the number of diseases caused by unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, chemical substances, parasites, and viruses at more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/food-safety\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>200<\/u><\/a>.\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">5. Cross-Contamination Drives Food Poisoning<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\nA process known as cross-contamination is the most common way through which food becomes unsafe.\n\nHealthLine.com defines <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/nutrition\/what-is-cross-contamination\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>cross-contamination<\/u><\/a>\u00a0as the transfer of food allergens, toxins, or chemicals from one food to the next.\n\nThe best way to avoid cross-contamination is to ensure that foods that are consumed raw, such as fruit, are never allowed to come into contact with raw foods like meat.\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">6. Chicken is the Biggest Food Poisoning Culprit <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\nWhen it comes to food poisoning, not all foods are created equal. Chicken is the biggest offender. The CDC says this type of meat is often contaminated by salmonella, which &#8220;&#8230; causes more food-borne illnesses than any other bacteria.&#8221;\n\nOther than chicken, there is a host of foods you need to watch out for. The website that caters to seniors, AARP.org, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aarp.org\/health\/conditions-treatments\/info-2020\/foods-causing-food-poisoning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>lists<\/u><\/a>\u00a0some of them:\n<ul>\n <li><strong>Beef, pork, and turkey:<\/strong>the most prominent risks from these meats are cross-contamination and undercooking.<\/li>\n <li><strong>Fruits and vegetables:<\/strong>can get contaminated as they travel from the farm to the home.<\/li>\n <li><strong>Raw milk and cheese products:<\/strong>lead to food poisoning, especially if the milk is unpasteurized.<\/li>\n <li><strong>Eggs:<\/strong>can be contaminated by <em>salmonella<\/em>\u00a0from the chicken laying them.<\/li>\n <li><strong>Seafood and raw shellfish:<\/strong>parasites in uncooked or undercooked fish can lead to illness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<strong>Raw flour:<\/strong>\u00a0often comes with contaminants from the field or the production process. However, the germs are killed if the flour is cooked to the right temperature.\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">7. Put Down the Antacid \u2013 Stomach Acid Helps Protect You from Food Poisoning <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\nStomach acid plays an essential role in digestion. Healthline.com <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/high-stomach-acid-symptoms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>confirms<\/u><\/a>\u00a0this, \u201cYour stomach\u2019s job is to help digest the food you eat. One way that it does this is through the use of stomach acid, also known as gastric acid.\u201d\n\nEven though high stomach acid levels are not good for you, using antacids in moderation is vital when trying to reduce these levels.\n\nIn this regard, AARP.org <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aarp.org\/health\/conditions-treatments\/info-2020\/foods-causing-food-poisoning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>warns<\/u><\/a>, \u201cEven otherwise healthy older adults who take stomach-acid reducers may be creating a dangerous situation for themselves.\u201d\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">8. Avoiding Food Poisoning is Easy<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\nThe great news about food poisoning is that it can be avoided easily if you handle food with care and ensure that it\u2019s cooked to the right temperature.\n\nMedlinePlus.gov, a service of the United States National Library of Medicine, lists some tips on <a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/ency\/article\/007441.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>how to avoid food poisoning<\/u><\/a>:\n<ul>\n <li>Wash your hands before and after touching raw meat.<\/li>\n <li>Clean dishes that have had contact with raw meat.<\/li>\n <li>Use a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chefstemp.com\/the-best-meat-thermometers-of-2022\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>thermometer<\/u><\/a>when cooking.<\/li>\n <li>Place all leftover perishable food in the fridge within two hours after cooking.<\/li>\n <li>Cook frozen food for the duration recommended by the manufacturer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDo not eat foods with an unusual taste or odor.\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">9. Food Thermometer: The Most Effective Weapon Against Food Poisoning <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\nOne sure way of ensuring that you end up sick from food poisoning is to eat food that is not adequately cooked. But how do I know that my food is not undercooked? The most effective way is to use a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chefstemp.com\/instant-read-meat-thermometers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>meat thermometer<\/u><\/a>.\n\nJoyce McGarry writes for Michigan University Extension\u2019s Safe Food &amp; Water website. She <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canr.msu.edu\/news\/food-safety-and-food-thermometers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>explains<\/u><\/a>\u00a0why using a food thermometer is wise: &#8220;Cooking foods to their correct, safe temperatures will destroy the pathogenic microorganisms that can cause food-borne illness.&#8221;\n\nMcGarry <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canr.msu.edu\/news\/food-safety-and-food-thermometers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>adds<\/u><\/a>, \u201cA food thermometer is considered one of the most important tools in controlling bacteria, such as <em>E. coli<\/em>, <em>salmonella<\/em>, and <em>listeria<\/em>.\u201d\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">10. Your Tupperware Could Save You From Cancer<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\nWe have already learned that food poisoning can cause cancer and that we should place perishable leftovers in the fridge within two hours of cooking. This means that placing your food in the fridge in an airtight Tupperware container could help you prevent contamination, which could, in turn, help prevent diseases like cancer.\n\nHowever, to ensure that your food is cool enough to be placed in the fridge within two hours of cooking, you will need to follow the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eatright.org\/homefoodsafety\/safety-tips\/food-poisoning\/food-safety-facts-and-figures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>advice<\/u><\/a>\u00a0of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: store the food in shallow airtight containers.\n\nThe smaller containers ensure that the food cools down rapidly so you can store it in the refrigerator or freezer as quickly as possible. If you put food in a big container, it takes longer to cool down, which allows bacteria to grow.\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">11. Washing Meat Is a Bad Idea<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\nDo you wash your meat before cooking it? If you do, you may need to reconsider. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eatright.org\/homefoodsafety\/safety-tips\/food-poisoning\/food-safety-facts-and-figures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>suggests<\/u><\/a>\u00a0that there is no benefit in washing meat and poultry.\n\nThe organization <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eatright.org\/homefoodsafety\/safety-tips\/food-poisoning\/food-safety-facts-and-figures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>says<\/u><\/a>, \u201cIn fact, if you think you\u2019re removing bacteria from meat and poultry by washing it, you actually might be allowing germs to spread to other ready-to-eat foods and causing cross-contamination in the process.\u201d\n\nhttps:\/\/www.chefstemp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Depositphotos_stock-photo-man-cooking.html_S.jpg\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">12. Your Senses Could Mislead You <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\nHow often do you open the fridge, get something out of it, smell it and make an instant decision about whether the food is safe to eat or not? Common as it is, this method of determining whether food is safe or not is not the most effective.\n\nThe best way to ensure that consuming any food does not lead to food poisoning is to cook it to the right temperature, eat or refrigerate it within two hours of cooking, and eat the refrigerated food within two or three days.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know that an estimated 1 in 6\u00a0Americans (translating to 48 million people) get sick every year from food-borne<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6014,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[194],"tags":[506],"class_list":["post-6013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-blogs","tag-foodfood-thermometerunsafe-food"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chef.shangeryou.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chef.shangeryou.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chef.shangeryou.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chef.shangeryou.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chef.shangeryou.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6013"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chef.shangeryou.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7303,"href":"https:\/\/chef.shangeryou.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6013\/revisions\/7303"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chef.shangeryou.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chef.shangeryou.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chef.shangeryou.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chef.shangeryou.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}