What is the difference between infection and food poisoning

These are concepts that can easily be confused, making you wonder if food poisoning is the same as a food infection at some point in the day.

When eating there is always the concern that the food is clean, well cooked and comes from a safe place especially if you are eating out, because if the food is not in good condition you can easily get sick.

To understand the difference between infection and food poisoning you must know what each means. At Monouso we explain it to you so you can easily tell the difference.

Foodborne infection

Knowing that they are different concepts makes you wonder, what is a food infection? It is an illness caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites in food.

To have a food infection you must consume water or food that is infected by those live microorganisms that can cause serious damage at the intestinal level, one of the best known is salmonella.

That is why special care must be taken with the washing of food before consumption and at the time of storage, because if not stored correctly these microbes can reproduce quickly.

Food poisoning

You know it’s a food infection, now it’s time to answer, what is food poisoning? It consists of eating food that has some kind of highly toxic component that causes intestinal problems.

It can be caused by bacterial toxins or by the interaction of food with chemicals that can range from those you use to clean your home to pesticides to eliminate rodents in a restaurant.

Differences between infection and food poisoning

Because the symptoms are so similar, it can take days to find the cause of them, hence the importance of knowing what makes one different from the other in order to know how to proceed.

• The infection is caused by microorganisms (bacteria, virus or parasites).
• Poisoning by chemical pollutants.
• The infection usually happens when the food is kept raw at room temperature for a long time.
• Food poisoning occurs when food is not clean or you come into contact with toxic products.
• When you have an infection the common symptoms are diarrhea, fever, chills and stomach aches.
• When you have food poisoning, it manifests itself in vomiting and nausea.
• The infection depends on the interaction you have with the food. In the case of meat, there are microorganisms that can be in the animal while it is alive.
• Poisoning is related to the hygiene of the utensils and the place where the food will be processed.
• Both can be prevented by cooking the food correctly, not keeping it at room temperature for too long, and storing it so that it does not come into contact with any contaminants.

You should always be especially careful with your food from the moment you buy it to when you eat it, check the sanity of the place where you do your shopping, wash your food well before storing it correctly and when you cook you should be sure that it is well cooked before consuming it.

FAQ