Food poisoning
Identifying if you have food poisoning
Food poisoning is an illness caused by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. The symptoms may start suddenly and can include vomiting, diarrhoea, nausea, and fever.
It can take time for symptoms to start after eating contaminated food or water. This is known as the incubation period, and can last from several hours and up to 21 days. This can make it difficult to identify the food which caused the illness.
Further information on the different types of food poisoning, associated symptoms, and recommended treatments can be found at the NHS food poisoning information.
There is also information on Norovirus, which has very similar symptoms and can often be identified as food poisoning. See the NHS advice on norovirus.
How to report food poisoning
If you think a business in Southampton has caused food poisoning report it to us using the form below. We will need:
- The name and address of the business
- The date and time of when the suspected food was eaten
- When and which symptoms you suffered
- Whether any other people in your group were affected
The incubation period can make it difficult to investigate complaints about food poisoning, particularly if no other people have reported similar symptoms.
Before you fill in this form
You won't be able to save this form to complete later, so please allow yourself five minutes to fill it in.
This form should only be used to report issues at Southampton businesses to us. Check which areas are in our boundary using our map.
