Cases of food poisoning rise dramatically during the summer months and the main culprits for the massive increase in cases throughout the warmer months are bad food storage and the good old barbecue.

Alfresco cooking is great fun for all the family and by taking just a few simple precautions there is no need for anyone to suffer at the hands of under-cooked food.

Here, The Parents Guide UK looks at food poisoning and, more importantly, how to avoid it this summer.

Buying the Food

When buying food, choose items that are well within their use-by-dates.

Always put raw meats into individual plastic bags.

Put chilled foods into cool bags/boxes

Don’t buy too much food. Take the food home and store straight away - don’t leave food in the boot of a car for longer than is necessary.

Storing the Food

Refrigerate chilled foods immediately

Put raw meats below ready to eat foods

Keep your fridge at or below 5 oc

Cover all foods

Preparing the Food

Wash your hands before you start, and in between handling raw and ready to eat foods

Prepare foods as late as possible and keep foods in the fridge until required

Defrost foods in the fridge or microwave

Use separate utensils for raw and ready to eat foods or wash them in between, preferably with an anti-bacterial soap.

Marinate foods in the fridge. Don’t put raw meat into a marinade if it is used for a sauce. Instead, reserve a portion specifically for the sauce.

Wash salads and vegetables thoroughly

Cooking the Food

Wash your hands

Pre-cook food in oven or microwave according to manufacturers’ instructions and finish off on the barbecue.

Cook immediately before eating.

Ensure meat is thoroughly cooked and piping hot throughout

Don’t handle raw and cooked foods with the same utensils.

Never put cooked food back on the dish that previously contained the raw meat

Serving the Food

Wash your hands

Eat food as soon as it is cooked

Do not leave food in the sunshine

Cover and refrigerate leftovers within one hour, or throw away

Types of Food Poisoning

Salmonella
Salmonella enterocolitis is an illness caused by contaminated food or water, causing inflammation in the lining of the small intestine.
It can cause mild to severe diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and muscle aches and pains.
Preparing food in unsanitary conditions can lead to contamination with the bacteria.
People become ill 8 to 48 hours after the exposure and the illness can last up to 2 weeks.
However, most people have fully recovered within 2 to 5 days.
Salmonella is normally triggered off by the consumption of undercooked or unrefrigerated poultry and dairy produce.
Salmonella has been found in 1% of eggs and 20% of all poultry.
However, it’s thought that thorough cooking will prevent food poisoning with salmonella.

Campylobacter
This is one of the most common forms of food poisoning and causes swelling in the lining of the small intestine.
A common source of infection is contaminated poultry, milk and water.
It does not normally cause vomiting.
The main symptoms are watery diarrhoea, cramps and stomach pain, fever and possibly blood in stools.
The illness develops after a 2-4 day incubation period and usually lasts less than one week.
Treatment may involve antibiotic therapy.
However, the bacteria is resistant to many antibiotics and treatment is not routinely advised.
In extremely rare cases campylobacter can cause blood poisoning, a form of arthritis and brain inflammation.

E.coli
Food poisoning with certain strains of E.coli causes a severe gastrointestinal illness which can be life threatening in infants, children, the elderly and those with weak immune systems.
Certain types of E.coli infection can lead to destruction of the red blood cells, a sharp drop in platelets and kidney failure.
The illness has an incubation period of between 24-72 hours and symptoms include acute diarrhoea, stomach pain and vomiting in rare cases.
Most people have recovered after three days.
Risk factors include undercooked meats, particularly minced meat, untreated and contaminated water and contact with a person who has been ill with E.coli or gastroenteritis.
Outbreaks have also been linked to handling soiled potatoes, yogurt, apple juice and unpasteurised milk.
E.coli has been detected in up to 15% of British cattle which is worrying due to the fact that beef is often eaten undercooked or rare.

Staphlycoccus aureus
This is a type of food poisoning from eating food contaminated with a poison produced by staph aureus bacteria.
It often occurs when food is contaminated by unhygienic food preparation such as a food handler with a skin infection and food being stored at room temperature.
Staph aureus commonly infects food that is served cool such as creamy desserts, custards, salads, cold meats and baked foods.
Symptoms usually appear within four to six hours and include vomiting for up to 24 hours, diarrhoea, severe stomach cramps and fever.

Listeria
This is a form of food poisoning which rarely affects healthy people.
However, it can be harmful to the elderly, unborn children and those with weak immune systems.
The toxin is found in shellfish, pate, processed meats and soft cheese.
Pregnant women should avoid eating these foods because listeria can be fatal for the foetus.
Listeria causes flu-like symptoms from 4 hours to several days.

Salmonella Bacteria (above)