If you have suffered from food poisoning after eating at a restaurant, take away or after consuming a shop or supermarket food product then you may be entitled to claim compensation.

What is food poisoning

Food poisoning is often due to a person eating a contaminated food.  The food will contain a bacterium that makes the person become sick.

Some of the bacteria that cause this condition are:

• E. coli
• listeria
• salmonella
• botulinum (from improper canning or preserving of food)

Botulinum getting in a digestive system is serious and can even cause death.  In all food poisoning cases, once the bacteria reaches our digestive system the body wants to rid of the toxinscausing a person expel their contents through vomiting and diarrhea.  Food poisoning can occur anytime and anywhere that a meal is consumed but it’s more of a chance of experiencing food poisoning when the meal is consumed in restaurants, at picnics, or events such as sports games.

Causes of food poisoning

A common situation where food poisoning is contracted is where there is a large amount of food being prepared for a large amount of people. Cleanliness may take a second seat as the preparers are busily preparing the large amount of food.  In addition, putting out large amounts of something like potato salad that contains mayonnaise will spoil when it’s left out too long.  Food being left out on hot days increases the chance of food poisoning occurring in the people eating it.

Common reasons for food poisoning include:

• Undercooked meats
• Spoiled dairy products
• Improper cleanliness
• Improper preserving of foods

Symptoms of food poisoning are: 

• Vomiting and/or diarrhea
• Fever or chills
• A headache
• Strong abdominal cramps
• Fatigue and feelings of weakness

Treatment of food poisoning

The treatment for food poising starts with discovering which type of food poising the person has.  The food eaten if available can be tested or the person’s blood, stool or vomit.  Most people recover from this illness within a day or two after the body expels the bacteria.  Patients may be given anti-diarrhea and anti-vomiting drugs to help retain some fluids to avoid becoming dehydrated. If vomiting or diarrhea continues and the person becomes dehydrated, they will need to have fluids replaced by way of an IV.  Pumping someone’s stomach would be in an extreme case such as if the food had pesticide poisoning.

Other mild medications may be given simply to make the person more comfortable such as a fever reducer and/or a pain reliever for headaches and abdominal pains.  Botulism is treated with an anti-toxin to block the toxins circulating in the blood.  When botulism is able to reach nerves and paralyze them the matter is much more serious.   Breathing can be stopped and the patient will have to be placed on a ventilator sometimes for weeks.

Compensation for food poisoning

Many people are unaware that they can claim compensation for food poisoning but help is at hand.  In addition to claiming compensation for you or a loved ones suffering, you may also be able to claim for medical expenses, lost wages and any other out of pocket expenses.  For an idea of what you could get see some typical compensation amounts.

Pinstripe make it easy for you to claim compensation. All you need to do is complete the simple online form opposite and the experienced and friendly claims team will handle it from there. It's that easy!