Food poisoning is an illness caused by eating harmful or contaminated food.
The most usual symptoms are stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhoea. Chemical food poisoning is caused by the presence of toxic chemicals in food. Biological food poisoning is caused by eating foods containing natural occurring poisons. Bacteria food poisoning is the most common cause of food poisoning and stringent hygiene precautions must be taken in order to prevent outbreaks of this type of illness. Hygienic preparation, cooking and storage of food is of prime importance if food poisoning is to be prevented.