How quickly does food poisoning start?

Food poisoning can begin immediately, especially if it is caused by a chemical contaminant. However food poisoning is most commonly caused by organisms such as Norovirus or Salmonella. Onset from this type of food poisoning can range from as little as 1 hour (Staphylococcus aureus) to as long as 28 days (Hepatitis A). Learn more: Food Poisoning Timeline

What do I do if I have food poisoning?

Staying hydrated is most important. It is recommended to see a doctor if you have a high fever (temperature over 101.5 F), blood in your stool, prolonged vomiting, or dehydration. Signs of dehydration, including a decrease in urination, a dry mouth and throat, and feeling dizzy when standing up, or diarrheal illness that lasts more than 3 days. Learn more .

How long does food poisoning last?

Most often, food poisoning is mild and resolves without treatment within a few days. But in some cases it can last longer and may require hospitalization and medical treatment. Learn more .

What are food poisoning symptoms?

Food poisoning symptoms may range from mild to severe and can differ significantly depending of the contaminant . The most common symptoms of food poisoning are: Upset stomach Stomach cramps Nausea Vomiting Diarrhea Fever Learn More

Should I report my food poisoning?

Food poisoning should be reported. It can help to detect outbreaks early and prevent others from being harmed. It also enables better surveillance of establishments that have repeat problems. Learn More.

Food poisoning timeline

The food poisoning timeline can begin immediately, especially if it is a chemical contaminant. For bacterial, viral or parasitic agents that cause food poisoning the start of symptoms will vary from a few hours to a few weeks. The Mayo Clinic provides the following information of some of the possible contaminants, when you might start to feel symptoms and common ways the organism is spread.1

Contaminant	Onset of symptoms	Foods affected and means of transmission
Campylobacter	2 to 5 days	Meat and poultry. Contamination occurs during processing if animal feces contact meat surfaces. Other sources include unpasteurized milk and contaminated water.
Clostridium botulinum	12 to 72 hours	Home-canned foods with low acidity, improperly canned commercial foods, smoked or salted fish, potatoes baked in aluminum foil, and other foods kept at warm temperatures for too long.
Clostridium perfringens	8 to 16 hours	Meats, stews and gravies. Commonly spread when serving dishes don't keep food hot enough or food is chilled too slowly.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7	1 to 8 days	Beef contaminated with feces during slaughter. Spread mainly by undercooked ground beef. Other sources include unpasteurized milk and apple cider, alfalfa sprouts, and contaminated water.
Giardia lamblia	1 to 2 weeks	Raw, ready-to-eat produce and contaminated water. Can be spread by an infected food handler.
Hepatitis A	28 days	Raw, ready-to-eat produce and shellfish from contaminated water. Can be spread by an infected food handler.
Listeria	9 to 48 hours	Hot dogs, luncheon meats, unpasteurized milk and cheeses, and unwashed raw produce. Can be spread through contaminated soil and water.
Noroviruses (Norwalk-like viruses)	12 to 48 hours	Raw, ready-to-eat produce and shellfish from contaminated water. Can be spread by an infected food handler.
Rotavirus	1 to 3 days	Raw, ready-to-eat produce. Can be spread by an infected food handler.
Salmonella	1 to 3 days	Raw or contaminated meat, poultry, milk, or egg yolks. Survives inadequate cooking. Can be spread by knives, cutting surfaces or an infected food handler.
Shigella	24 to 48 hours	Seafood and raw, ready-to-eat produce. Can be spread by an infected food handler.
Staphylococcus aureus	1 to 6 hours	Meats and prepared salads, cream sauces, and cream-filled pastries. Can be spread by hand contact, coughing and sneezing.
Vibrio vulnificus	1 to 7 days	Raw oysters and raw or undercooked mussels, clams, and whole scallops. Can be spread through contaminated seawater

According to the Mayo Clinic, treatment of serious food poisoning may include:

Replacement of lost fluids. Fluids and electrolytes — minerals such as sodium, potassium and calcium that maintain the balance of fluids in your body — lost to persistent diarrhea need to be replaced. Some children and adults with persistent diarrhea or vomiting may need hospitalization, where they can receive salts and fluids through a vein (intravenously), to prevent or treat dehydration.
Antibiotics. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics if you have certain kinds of bacterial food poisoning and your symptoms are severe. Food poisoning caused by listeria needs to be treated with intravenous antibiotics during hospitalization. The sooner treatment begins, the better. During pregnancy, prompt antibiotic treatment may help keep the infection from affecting the baby. Antibiotics will not help food poisoning caused by viruses. Antibiotics may actually worsen symptoms in certain kinds of viral or bacterial food poisoning. Talk to your doctor about your options.

Adults with diarrhea that isn't bloody and who have no fever may get relief from taking over the counter medications; loperamide (Imodium A-D) or bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol). Ask your doctor about these options.

When you should talk to your doctor?

The CDC recommends to see your doctor if you have: – High fever (temperature over 101.5 F, measured orally) – Blood in the stools – Prolonged vomiting that prevents keeping liquids down (which can lead to dehydration) – Signs of dehydration, including a decrease in urination, a dry mouth and throat, and feeling dizzy when standing up.- – Diarrheal illness that lasts more than 3 days.

Here are some questions you can ask a doctor or another medical professional:

What's the likely cause of the symptoms? Are there other possible causes?
Is there a need for tests?
What's the best treatment approach? Are there alternatives?
Is there a need for medication? If yes, is there a generic alternative to the medicine you're prescribing?
How can I ease the symptoms?

Some questions the doctor may ask include:

Has anyone in your family or otherwise close to you developed similar symptoms? If so, did you eat the same things?
Have you traveled anywhere where the water or food might not be safe?
Are you having bloody bowel movements?
Do you have a fever?
Had you taken antibiotics in the days or weeks before your symptoms started?
When did symptoms begin?
Have the symptoms been continuous, or do they come and go?
What foods have you eaten in the past few days?

In the meantime, you or your loved one who is sick should drink plenty of fluids and only eat bland foods to reduce stress on your digestive system. If your child is sick, follow the same approach — offer plenty of fluids and bland food. If you're breast-feeding or using formula, continue to feed your child as usual.

Ask your child's doctor if giving your child an oral rehydration fluid (Pedialyte, Enfalyte, others) is appropriate. Older adults and people with weakened immune systems might also benefit from oral rehydration solutions. Medications that help ease diarrhea generally aren't recommended for children.

For more information about:

Recalled Food

If you have food poisoning and want to check recently recalled foods, please visit this page:

Current Food Recalls

Current Multistate Food Poisoning Outbreaks

When two or more people get the same illness from the same contaminated food or drink, the event is called a foodborne or food poisoning outbreak. Reporting illnesses to your local health department helps them identify potential outbreaks of foodborne disease. Public health officials investigate outbreaks to control them, so more people do not get sick in the outbreak, and to learn how to prevent similar outbreaks from happening in the future.

Here is a list of current multistate foodborne illness outbreaks.

Back to Learn

Note:

1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-poisoning/symptoms-causes/syc-20356230

Dollar General, Whiskey Road, Aiken, SC, USA

20 hours ago

GENERAL MILLS TRIX AND CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH Yes, Ive been eating these cereals for months and Ive gotten sick every time with exactly the same symptoms. Missed work and Ive seen 3 doctor and documented each time. I narrowed it down because all.I had to eat that... See More day was the cereal without milk. It happened Over the past few months, | Symptoms: Nausea, Gas See Less

#dollargeneral #aiken #southcarolina #unitedstates #doctorvisit #nausea #gas

Dollar General, Whiskey Road, Aiken, SC, USA photo #1

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MH

Daily Harvest, Chicago, IL, USA

2 days ago

About two months ago I began eating daily harvest. After consuming a soup bowl (lentil and cremini) I became extremely sick with liquid diarrhea 10-15 times a day for almost 3 weeks. After several examinations and dozens of tests, no diagnosis was given but the doctor gave... See More me anti-parasitic medication and antibiotics that eventually did the trick. Thought I was gonna die. It was my first delivery of daily harvest and at the time I thought it tasted a little like a wet dog smells, but chalked it up to being all natural health food. Boy was I wrong. | Symptoms: Nausea, Diarrhea See Less

#dailyharvest #chicago #illinois #unitedstates #doctorvisit #nausea #diarrhea

Daily Harvest, Chicago, IL, USA photo #1

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WY

Hotel Xcaret Arte, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico

4 days ago

Wife and I visited for six days and had a fantastic time, but left Mexico with 8+ days of tummy issues and still counting. Fortunately, the bad symptoms and 102.3 fever didn’t come on until after we were home, but we’ve been on antibiotics for a few days now after seeing our primary care doctor. | Symptoms: Diarrhea, Fever See Less

#hotelxcaret #playadelcarmen #quintanaroo #mexico #doctorvisit #diarrhea #fever

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RO

Walmart Supercenter, East Highland Drive, Jonesboro, AR, USA

5 days ago

Monday 6/20 I bought some pre packaged Cesar salads came home and put away my groceries. Next day Tuesday 6/21 I ate one of the salads and my stomach started hurting. Long and behold the best by date was JAN 29, 2022…. When we are in JUNE!!!... See More Hoping it was just a mis print and all 4 of the salads I bought had the same date.. I called them to let them know to pull the rest of the salads. It’s now Saturday and I’ve been sick since Tuesday. I went to the dr and they confirmed it was food poisoning.‍ 😵‍💫🥲 | Symptoms: Diarrhea, Stomach Pain See Less

#walmart #expirydate #jonesboro #arkansas #unitedstates #doctorvisit #diarrhea #stomachpain

Walmart Supercenter, East Highland Drive, Jonesboro, AR, USA photo #1

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55

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YJ

Swadley's Bar-B-Q, North Rockwell Avenue, Bethany, Oklahoma, USA

1 week ago

Friday 17th 2022 ate here around 3:00 pm and about 3:00 pm next he was dizzy,aching, headache that Sunday diarrhea , fever his also is feeling the same she ate the same thing Kept getting worst went to doctor | Symptoms: Diarrhea, Nausea, Fever, Other, Headache, Dizziness See Less

#bethany #oklahoma #unitedstates #doctorvisit #diarrhea #nausea #fever #headache #dizziness

168

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DG

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Memorial Boulevard, Murfreesboro, TN, USA

1 week ago

Wife ate there on a Saturday night and she suffered severe stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhea. This has been going on for almost 5 days now. She has consulted with her doctor and they will be running test to see what is going on. | Symptoms: Diarrhea, Stomach Pain, Vomiting, Fatigue See Less

#chipotlemexicangrill #murfreesboro #tennessee #unitedstates #doctorvisit #diarrhea #stomachpain #vomiting #fatigue

253

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KF

Honey Nut Cheerios, BJ's Wholesale Club, 1752 Shore Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11214, United States

1 week ago

I bought a very large honey nut cheerios there a few months ago and it has made me sick for months. I finally started cutting foods out of my diet trying to figure out if it was an allergy and as soon as I reintroduced the cereal... See More I got the same symptoms. I went to my gi dr a few times and he could not figure out what was wrong after running a lot of tests.

06/23 update: I've been going to the doctor for a few months now. I've taking antibiotics, ibs pills, probiotics and im still having stomach issues | Symptoms: Nausea, Diarrhea See Less

#bjs #cheerios #newyork #unitedstates #doctorvisit #nausea #diarrhea

Honey Nut Cheerios, BJ's Wholesale Club, 1752 Shore Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11214, United States photo #1

Honey Nut Cheerios, BJ's Wholesale Club, 1752 Shore Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11214, United States photo #2

6.6K

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OK

Tampines Central 5, Genki Sushi Tampines Mall, Singapore

1 week ago

Ate sushi salmon and the next day, had diarrhoea. Doc identified as food poisoning. | Symptoms: Nausea, Diarrhea See Less

#singapore #doctorvisit #nausea #diarrhea

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HI

Cheerios, H-E-B, Babcock Road, San Antonio, TX, USA

1 week ago

I eat Cinnamon Cheerios and Chex every day because they are gluten free. About 2 weeks ago I had severe stomach cramps and diarrhea . I actually checked the cereals to see if they had changed. I went to the doctor. They ran numerous tests that all... See More came back negative. I stopped eating the cereals for about a week and it got better. | Symptoms: Diarrhea, Cramps See Less

#cheerios #heb #sanantonio #texas #unitedstates #doctorvisit #diarrhea #cramps

309

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RV

McDonald's, Dr. Salvador Nava Martinez, Garita de Jalisco, San Luis Potosi, S.L.P., Mexico

1 week ago

The doctor told me that the meat spoiled as it filled me with hives all over my body, Only me | Symptoms: Nausea, Stomach Pain See Less

#mcdonalds #sanluispotosi #sanluispotosi #mexico #doctorvisit #nausea #stomachpain

McDonald's, Doctor Salvador Nava Martínez, Garita de Jalisco, San Luis Potosí, S.L.P., Mexico photo #1

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McDonald's, Doctor Salvador Nava Martínez, Garita de Jalisco, San Luis Potosí, S.L.P., Mexico photo #2

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McDonald's, Doctor Salvador Nava Martínez, Garita de Jalisco, San Luis Potosí, S.L.P., Mexico photo #3

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Food poisoning timeline and when you should see a doctor?

Food poisoning timeline

When you should talk to your doctor?

For more information about:

Recalled Food

Current Multistate Food Poisoning Outbreaks

Note:

Recent Interesting Reports