Report food poisoning

Symptoms of food poisoning

Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea. Sometimes, you might also have a fever. Other illnesses, medicines and drinking too much alcohol can cause similar symptoms to food poisoning.

Having the symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have food poisoning. The norovirus is the most common cause of gastroenteritis (upset stomach) in the UK. 

Find more information on the NHS Norovirus infections webpage or the Health Protection Agency Norovirus webpage.

What to do if you have food poisoning

If you think you have food poisoning, you should:

• drink plenty of fluids and use rehydration powders that you can get from pharmacies
• get medical help: if you’re concerned about your health, contact NHS Direct by phone 111 or your GP for advice

If you'd like us to investigate

If you think you've contracted food poisoning from one of Brighton & Hove’s eating establishments and would like us to investigate, please see your GP first who will arrange a faecal sample.

There are many illnesses that have similar symptoms to food poisoning, so we'll only investigate if we receive formal confirmation that your illness was caused by a food poisoning bacteria. 

The results will state what has caused your illness. With this information, we can start an investigation.

What can cause food poisoning

There are many different microbes that can cause food poisoning. These include bacteria, viruses and parasites.

There are also infectious diseases which can cause food poisoning. We may contact people for information about where they may have picked up the illness.

For more information, phone 01273 292 161 or send an email to ehl.food@brighton-hove.gov.uk.