What Are the Symptoms of Food Poisoning?
The CDC says food poisoning symptoms depend on the germ, and that the most common are diarrhea, stomach pain or cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever. Symptoms can range from mild to serious and last a few hours or several days, and some germs make people sick within a few hours while others take a few days.
See a doctor for severe symptoms. The CDC lists bloody diarrhea, diarrhea lasting more than 3 days, a fever over 102°F, vomiting so often you cannot keep liquids down, and signs of dehydration such as not urinating much, a dry mouth and throat, or dizziness when standing up. It says most illnesses are mild, but some infections spread by food are serious or even life-threatening and can lead to problems including meningitis, kidney damage, hemolytic uremic syndrome, arthritis, and brain and nerve damage.
It is common. The CDC estimates that each year 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die. Its four steps to prevent food poisoning are clean, separate, cook and chill, meaning keep hands and surfaces clean, keep risky foods separate from other foods, cook food properly and refrigerate promptly.
Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.
The sources behind this answer
- Government sourceThe CDC says food poisoning symptoms depend on the germ, and the most common symptoms include diarrhea, stomach pain or cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC says food poisoning symptoms can range from mild to serious and last a few hours or several days, and some germs cause illness within hours while others take a few days. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC advises seeing a doctor for bloody diarrhea, diarrhea lasting more than 3 days, a fever over 102°F, vomiting that prevents keeping liquids down, or signs of dehydration. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC says most foodborne illnesses are mild, but some are serious or life-threatening and can lead to meningitis, kidney damage, hemolytic uremic syndrome, arthritis, and brain and nerve damage. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC estimates that each year 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC's four steps to food safety are clean, separate, cook and chill, meaning clean hands and surfaces, keep risky foods separate, cook food properly and refrigerate promptly. CDC ↗
Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.