Check if you have food poisoning

Symptoms of food poisoning include:

The symptoms usually start within a few hours or a few days of eating food that caused the infection.

Sometimes symptoms do not start for a few weeks.

How to treat food poisoning yourself

If you or your child have food poisoning, you can usually treat it at home.

The symptoms usually get better within a week.

Diarrhoea and vomiting can usually be treated at home. The most important thing is to have lots of fluids to avoid dehydration.

stay at home and get plenty of rest
drink lots of fluids, such as water or squash – take small sips if you feel sick
carry on breast or bottle feeding your baby – if they're being sick, try giving small feeds more often than usual
give babies on formula or solid foods small sips of water between feeds
eat when you feel able to – it may help to avoid foods that are fatty or spicy
take paracetamol if you're in discomfort – check the leaflet before giving it to your child

Speak to a pharmacist if:

you or your child (over 5 years) have signs of dehydration, such as dark, smelly pee or peeing less than usual
you're an older person, have a weakened immune system, or have other health conditions that increase your risk of dehydration
you need to stop diarrhoea for a few hours

They may recommend:

oral rehydration powder that you mix with water to make a drink
medicine to stop diarrhoea for a few hours, like loperamide (not suitable for children under 12)

you're worried about a baby under 12 months
your child stops breast or bottle feeding while they're ill
a child under 5 years has signs of dehydration, such as fewer wet nappies
you or your child (aged 5 years or over) still have signs of dehydration after using oral rehydration sachets
you or your child keep being sick and cannot keep fluid down
you or your child have bloody diarrhoea or bleeding from the bottom
you or your child have diarrhoea for more than 7 days or vomiting for more than 2 days

111 will tell you what to do. They can arrange a phone call from a nurse or doctor if you need one.

vomit blood or have vomit that looks like ground coffee
have green vomit (adults)
have yellow-green or green vomit (children)
may have swallowed something poisonous
have a stiff neck and pain when looking at bright lights
have a sudden, severe headache
have a sudden, severe tummy ache
have blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue - on brown or black skin this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
are having severe difficulty breathing, or taking lots of quick, short breaths
are confused or not responding as usual

What we mean by severe pain

Severe pain:: always there and so bad it's hard to think or talk
you cannot sleep
it's very hard to move, get out of bed, go to the bathroom, wash or dress
Moderate pain:: always there
makes it hard to concentrate or sleep
you can manage to get up, wash or dress
Mild pain:: comes and goes
is annoying but does not stop you doing daily activities

Do not drive to A&E. Ask someone to drive you or call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

Bring any medicines you take with you.

Food poisoning is caused by eating something that has been contaminated with germs.

This can happen if food is:

Any type of food can cause food poisoning.

Infections that cause food poisoning

Food poisoning is usually caused by:

Page last reviewed: 19 December 2024
Next review due: 19 December 2027