Food poisoning usually occurs two to six hours after eating the contaminated food and can include nausea, fever, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea. Symptoms may last from several hours to two or three days.

Experts at the Maryland Poison Center recommend these basic food safety preparation and storage practices to prevent food poisonings: 

• Wash hands with soap and warm running water for at least 15 to 20 seconds before preparing any foods and especially after handling raw meat, poultry, fish or eggs.

• Keep preparation and storage areas clean; this includes countertops, stovetops and refrigerators.

• Wash utensils between each use. Never reuse utensils; this is a source of contamination.

• Do not defrost meat or poultry on the counter at room temperature; thaw it in the refrigerator or microwave.

• Use a meat thermometer to confirm that meat, pork and poultry are properly cooked; visit www.foodsafety.gov for proper temperatures.

• Do not prepare food if you are sick or have any type of nose or eye infection.

• Store raw food below cooked food in the refrigerator so raw food cannot drip into cooked food and contaminate it.

• Use separate cutting boards for meats, poultry and fish. 

Properly seal and store leftovers in the refrigerator as soon as possible. Leaving perishable foods, including meats and dairy products, out longer than two hours significantly increases the risk of food poisoning. Throw food away if you are unsure how long it has been sitting out.

The Maryland Poison Center is available to answer questions about food poisoning, or any other sort of toxic exposure at 800-222-1222.

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