Food poisoning can be caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemicals.
Most cases of food poisoning are mild and last only a few days. However, some cases can be more severe, especially in children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.
Symptoms
Stomach pain or cramps
Diarrhea
Nausea
Vomiting
Fever
Headache
Basic prevention measures
Simple ways to prevent food poisoning include:
Carefully examining the food you put in your shopping cart
Washing your hands and forearms with soap before and after handling food
Using bandages and disposable gloves to cover any injuries while handling food
Properly storing food at the recommended safe temperatures
Carefully sorting through the food still in your refrigerator and freezer after a power outage
Avoiding contamination
Contamination is the result of direct contact between raw food and food that is cooked or ready to eat.
The best way to avoid contaminating the food you prepare is to closely follow the hygiene and cleaning recommendations.
Only proper cooking can prevent food contamination or reduce it to safe levels. Cooking kills most disease-causing bacteria.
There are well-known health risks associated with eating ground meat. When preparing ground meat, certain recommendations should be followed.
Also:
Do not use cracked or broken eggs. They may be contaminated by disease-causing bacteria, including salmonella.
Discard cans that are bulging, dented, leaking or giving off an abnormal smell.
Cross-contamination
Cross-contamination occurs when cooked or ready-to-eat foods come into contact with utensils, work surfaces or hands that have touched raw food.
To avoid cross-contamination:
Always separate raw food from food that is cooked or ready to eat. For example, do not put lettuce (a ready-to-eat food) on a work surface that was used to handle raw food unless the surface has been carefully washed and sanitized.
If possible, use one cutting board for vegetables and another for raw meat.
Prepare cooked or ready-to-eat food (which is less likely to be contaminated) before raw food (which poses a higher risk).
Wash your hands often with soap.
If you are making raclette or fondue, avoid putting raw food, such as fondue meat or chicken, on your plate. They could contaminate the other food on your plate. It is best to use different utensils to handle raw and cooked meat.
Potentially hazardous food
More caution is needed when preparing, cooking or eating certain foods to avoid food poisoning.
It is illegal to distribute, give away or sell raw milk in Québec. This also includes unpasteurized dairy products such as milk, cream, butter, yogurt and ice cream. However, some cheeses may be made in Québec using raw or unpasteurized milk, but they must come from dairy plants, which are held to strict food safety standards.
Pasteurization involves treating milk with heat to eliminate the harmful microorganisms it may contain. People who consume raw milk are at risk of severe food poisoning, with potentially major consequences for their health.
Who is at risk
Children aged 5 and under, pregnant women, seniors aged 60 and over and people with weakened immune systems should avoid consuming any type of unpasteurized dairy product, as they are more vulnerable to food poisoning.
All dairy products intended to be sold or distributed in Québec must have been made in a dairy plant that is licensed by the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ). This means that it is illegal to sell, distribute or give away dairy products made on a farm or at home.
Some farmers who own cows, goats or sheep make the choice to drink raw milk from their own animals. This practice is acceptable for members of their immediate family only (spouse and children). They are not allowed to sell, distribute or even offer raw milk to other people, such as their customers, extended family, neighbours or friends.
Similarly, if farmers decide to make cheese using raw or unpasteurized milk from their own animals, they cannot sell, distribute or give away those products. This rule also applies to mobile cheesemongers or non-professional cheesemakers who make such cheese for a farmer. These products may be consumed only by the immediate family (spouse and children) of the farmer. Be vigilant, because despite this rule, in recent years numerous individuals have experienced symptoms of severe food poisoning after consuming raw milk cheese made on a farm or in an illicit establishment.
In any case, non-professional cheesemakers may only make cheeses using pasteurized milk for their immediate family (spouse and children) to consume.
You can consult the list of MAPAQ-issued permit holders (French only) to make sure that a producer has a dairy processing permit. To report any type of illegal sale or distribution of raw milk or unpasteurized dairy products, fill out this form (select “Other complaint” from the list).