According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, foodborne diseases is the cause for nearly 76 million illnesses each year. About 325,000 cases of hospitalization and nearly 5,000 deaths are caused by food poisoning each year in the United States. Known pathogens account for about 14 million of these illnesses, and 1,800 deaths.

So, what is food poisoning?

People succumb to food poisoning which is also known as foodborne illnesses by consuming food that may contain viruses and bacteria. There are several ways this could happen. The food you eat could get infected at the farm, or during packaging, or get exposed to bacteria and virus en route the stores, or get infected due to improper storage and cooking at either a restaurant or even your home. While the exact cause of food poisoning could be hard to determine – the symptoms begin to rear its ugly head a few days after consuming contaminated food. A few of the symptoms of food poisoning are watery diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, cramps, and in some cases even fever. These symptoms can mimic those of stomach flu and other such ailments and thus make food poisoning hard to detect at times. Most instances of food poisoning are mild and people recover in less than a week’s time. Other more severe cases may lead to serious injuries and need hospitalization too.