The sickening truth behind Britain's food poisoning epidemic: Cases are surging across the country and no one knows why... until now. From supermarket produce to takeaways we reveal what's going on

They are among the most common – and insidious – of illnesses.

Often, the first signs are mild: a rumbling tummy or vague nausea – all too often leading to stomach cramps, fever, vomiting and other distressing and embarrassing digestive issues. At that point, there is often no other explanation: food poisoning.

While for many the unpleasantness passes within a day or two, for others it can take weeks to fully recover. In some cases, particularly for the elderly or those with weakened immune systems, a severe bout can lead to a lengthy hospital stay or even prove fatal.

So the fact that official statistics for England published last week have revealed that the number of cases are on the rise – and, when it comes to one particularly nasty food-borne bug, is at a ten-year high – makes for distinctly unpalatable reading.

Releasing the figures, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said that last year there were 10,406 recorded cases of salmonella – a bacterial infection found in chicken, meat, eggs, raw fruit or vegetables – the most for a decade.

Cases of campylobacter, a bug largely linked with chicken and pork, also remained high, at 69,394, while listeriosis from chilled foods and soft cheeses – which can cause serious illness, miscarriage and stillbirth – was linked to 181 cases.

Separate data published last year revealed cases of E.coli had risen by 26 per cent, driven by one of the country’s largest ever outbreaks which was linked to contaminated salad leaves. That resulted in 293 people being infected, 126 hospitalisations and two deaths.

Experts warn these figures are just the tip of the iceberg as, for most people, food poisoning is a relatively simple illness which they brave out at home – meaning they are not tested for specific bugs or recorded in official data.

But NHS England figures do show that more people are seeking hospital treatment for more serious food poisoning symptoms.

A Freedom of Information request by kitchen firm Prestige last month revealed a rise of 87 per cent in five years, from 1,370 in 2020 to 2,567 in 2024.

Professor Paul Wigley, a microbiologist at the University of Bristol, said research suggested only one in six cases of salmonella were recorded, and just one in ten campylobacter cases.

‘The true figure for salmonella is probably about 60,000 cases a year for England and Wales, and for campylobacter it’s probably somewhere between half a million and a million,’ Prof Wigley added.

So what might be driving the rise in cases? And can we really trust the food in supermarkets, restaurants and takeaways?

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There are two distinct ways for food to make us ill.

One is through bacteria, such as salmonella, campylobacter, listeria and E.coli, contaminating food and infecting us when we eat it. The other is when harmful toxins develop in food because it has not been stored or cooked properly – such as eating meat which has been left out of the fridge too long.

Recent products recalled by the FSA because they have been contaminated by bacteria indicates the range of surprising everyday products which can be affected.

It includes pots of Sainsbury’s own-brand hummus, which were recalled last year over fears they may contain E.coli, and Tesco’s Grape & Berry Medley – fresh, ready-to-eat fruit packs – were recalled in February because salmonella was found in some.

Importantly, the number of recalls has not risen, the FSA says, suggesting that there is no growing problem with hygiene or contamination on production lines.

Professor Ian Young, chief scientific adviser for the FSA, said groups of experts had been convened to look into reasons for the persistently high numbers of cases, and had identified ‘over 50’ possible contributing factors.

‘It’s not a simple situation,’ Professor Young said, ‘but we’ve narrowed it down to a smaller number which are actively under investigation to try to generate more evidence about what’s likely to be important. That should allow us to take additional measures to reduce the risks of food-borne disease.’

One of those factors is changing weather patterns in the UK.

Research consistently shows that there are more cases of food-borne illness in the summer, when people may undercook meat on the BBQ or transport picnic food around at warmer temperatures that can encourage bacteria to grow. This is no surprise, and has long been the case.

But a developing issue under investigation is that, as the UK climate becomes warmer, with hotter summers and milder winters, this leads to more extreme weather events such as flooding.

Flood water can transport bacteria from land grazed by farm animals, which contains their faeces, into crop fields used to grow fruit and vegetables, or into water used to irrigate them. It is thought this may have caused the E.coli outbreak in salad leaves in 2024.

Cath Rees, professor of microbiology at the University of Nottingham, said: ‘There had been a big weather event and water had run through a crop field and brought faecal contamination with it.

‘And in cases like this, washing the salad may not help entirely as the bacteria is in the water that the plants suck up while growing, so it’s actually inside the leaf rather than on the leaf.’

Prof Young added that it would be ‘particularly important’ over the next few months for people to store salad in the fridge, as this reduces the risk of any bacteria that is present from multiplying, and that washing salad leaves thoroughly would still ‘somewhat reduce the risk’ even if it didn’t remove it completely.

Increased imports of meat and other chilled products over the past few years have also contributed to the rising number of salmonella poisonings.

In the UK, egg-laying chickens have been vaccinated against the main strains of salmonella since 1998 following a scandal ten years previously in which then-junior health minister Edwina Currie revealed that most of the UK’s egg production was contaminated with the bug.

She was forced to resign over claims that this was an overstatement – but it was later found to have been accurate.

But other countries do not have such stringent regulations, and chicken and eggs imported from Poland have led to ‘hundreds’ of additional salmonella cases, the FSA has said. Vaccinating chickens in Poland is voluntary, and not mandated by law.

Prof Rees said that the cost-of-living crisis had also driven people to opt for cheaper meat sold at markets or independent grocers, which may have been imported or been subject to less stringent food safety requirements.

There is some evidence in the official figures that less common strains of salmonella have been causing illness in the UK. These are not covered by the vaccines given to chickens, and can be resistant to antibiotics used to treat patients who become ill.

Prof Wigley said it was ‘possible’ these other strains were flourishing in chickens and being passed on to humans.

‘We’re seeing slightly different salmonellas than we did,’ he said. ‘We’re less good at controlling some of the other ones, which aren’t vaccine protected.’

However, Prof Rees said it was more likely such strains were linked to travel, as people returned to the UK with an illness they picked up abroad.

The FSA is also investigating whether the growing trend to feed dogs and cats raw pet food could be contributing to the rise in salmonella cases.

Up to one in five pet owners have now shifted towards providing ‘unprocessed’ uncooked meats, bones and organs, research suggests, because of claims that such diets make animals healthier. The trend is linked to a similar drive to remove ultra-processed foods from human diets.

But Prof Young said: ‘There’s quite good evidence that raw pet food is more likely to be contaminated with both salmonella and campylobacter, and there is a risk of cross-contamination to pet owners. Those risks can be mitigated if consumers handle it carefully.

‘We don’t know for sure how that translates into a rise in cases of food-borne illness, but it’s an area we’re looking at.’

Our eating habits have also changed, with ordering takeaway deliveries rather than eating out or cooking becoming more popular.

Some big-name restaurants try to keep up with demand by using so-called ‘dark kitchens’ – units which prepare meals for a number of different brands, and are transported via delivery companies such as Deliveroo and UberEats.

These apps may make it easier to order whatever you fancy, but having meals transported over distances at warmer temperatures also increases the risk of bacterial growth.

Prof Rees said: ‘Takeaways are a source of outbreaks.’

But one of the biggest issues is that people are less well-informed about food hygiene and how to properly store, prepare and cook meals.

Prof Wigley pointed out we eat more prepared foods, takeaways and restaurant meals than ever before, which means when we do cook, routine hygiene measures may be forgotten or shrugged off.

‘It’s not a message the food industry ever wants to get out there, but food comes with bacteria on it and some of those bacteria – the tiny, tiny minority – can cause an illness,’ Prof Rees said. ‘All food is potentially a risk. But what we need to remember is that storing and preparing it properly can reduce our risk.’

Cases going up during BBQ season is a case in point. A significant portion of that is campylobacter, which affects around half of all chickens sold and some pork. The bacteria does not affect the birds, but can cause nasty gastrointestinal side-effects in humans.

About one in 1,000 cases can lead to long-term complications such as Guillain Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder causing nerve damage, muscle weakness and paralysis.

‘The campylobacter numbers go up dramatically during BBQ season, and it’s largely about how we handle and cook chicken at home,’ said Prof Rees. ‘We know that because the number of infections didn’t reduce dramatically during Covid, so it’s not linked to poor kitchen hygiene in restaurants.

‘As a microbiologist, I always cook chicken in the oven before putting it on the BBQ, as cooking it properly kills the bacteria and reduces your risk.’

The other ‘big issue’, Prof Wigley pointed out, is cross-contamination in the kitchen – when chopping boards or knives are used to prepare raw meat and are then used for vegetables or salad, transferring the bacteria.

Prof Wigley said: ‘Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw ingredients, and put chopping boards and knives in very hot soapy water and clean straight away.’

Other advice includes not washing meat in the kitchen sink, as any splashes will contain bacteria that can spread to surrounding surfaces.

Experts also recommend using a food thermometer to ensure food is cooked all the way through, promptly storing perishable foods in the fridge and not consuming food which is past its use-by date.

Prof Wigley said: ‘People tend to ignore use-by dates if it looks and smells OK. But the bacteria that makes something smell and look unpalatable are not the same as those that make us ill. You can usually use something past its best-before date, as that’s about quality of the product, but consuming anything past its use-by date comes with a risk of food poisoning.’

Dr Gauri Godbole, the UKHSA’s deputy director for gastrointestinal infections and food safety, said: ‘Washing hands thoroughly with soap and water, particularly after using the toilet, handling raw meat, eating, and contact with animals or farms, can help prevent infection. Practising good hygiene helps protect you and others from food poisoning.’

For more information, visit food.gov.uk.