Social functions such as barbecues and dinner parties are the most common source of food poisoning in the home.
The results of a study of food poisoning trends between 1992 and 1999, show that although outbreaks of gastrointestinal infection in the home continue to decline, food remains the predominant transmitter of disease.
Researchers at the UK government's Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS), who conducted the study, said the results show the risks of infection are highest when people are catering for larger groups than usual.
Three out of four cases involved salmonella and the most common foods implicated in the outbreaks were poultry, desserts containing raw eggs and egg-based dishes.
Contamination usually occurred through inappropriate storage, inadequate cooking and the accidental transfer of bacteria in the kitchen.
However, the number of outbreaks linked with home infection dropped from around 45 to 25 a year between 1992 and 1999.
British Medical Journal 2001;323:1097-1098
With the holiday season upon us it is wise to pay attention to this simple principle. If you are attending a party that has catered food it would certainly seem to make sense to inquire as to how the food was prepared and stored. If there is any question you might want to skip the meal.
Many of us don't realize that there is always another option when in a setting when there is no good food available. The simple one would be to eat prior to attending. But one could always choose to fast and avoid the potentially contaminated or less than healthy food, as it is always possible to eat afterwards.
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