The council can act if you have food poisoning caused by a food premises in York. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, temperature, cramps and nausea.

The time taken from eating food to feeling unwell varies, and in some cases can be up to 10-15 days after consumption. The last meal you ate may not be the cause of your symptoms.

48 hour bugs are very common and also cause vomiting, and occasionally diarrhoea. These are usually caused by viruses in the environment and not food.

If you believe that you have food poisoning take the following steps:

• tell your employer if your occupation involves handling food
• ensure you practice good personal hygiene
• wash your hands before handling food and after visiting the toilet
• drink plenty of fluids
• inform us if you believe your illness has been caused by a food premises in York. In order for us to investigate further we will require you to submit a faecal (stool) sample. This can be arranged via ourselves or your own GP and is necessary in order to confirm the reasons for your symptoms.

The main causes of food poisioning are:

• preparing food too far in advance
• not cooking food properly
• not defrosting food correctly
• storing food incorrectly so that bacteria can grow
• cross contamination of foods after cooking
• infection from people handling foods due to poor hygiene