Most people think they got sick from something they just ate (like at a restaurant) but it is much more likely to be the result of something they ate days ago.
| Contaminant | Onset of symptoms | Foods affected and means of transmission |
|---|---|---|
| Campylobacter | 2 to 5 days | Meat and poultry. Contamination occurs during processing if animal feces contact meat surfaces. Other sources include unpasteurized milk and contaminated water. |
| Clostridium botulinum | 12 to 72 hours | Home-canned foods with low acidity, improperly canned commercial foods, smoked or salted fish, potatoes baked in aluminum foil and other foods kept at warm temperatures for too long. |
| Clostridium perfringens | 8 to 16 hours | Meats, stews and gravies. Commonly spread when serving dishes don't keep food hot enough or food is chilled too slowly. |
| Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 | 1 to 8 days | Beef contaminated with feces during slaughter. Spread mainly by undercooked ground beef. Other sources include unpasteurized milk and apple cider, alfalfa sprouts and contaminated water. |
| Giardia lamblia | 1 to 2 weeks | Raw, ready-to-eat produce and contaminated water. Can be spread by an infected food handler. |
| Hepatitis A | 28 days | Raw, ready-to-eat produce and shellfish from contaminated water. Can be spread by an infected food handler. |
| Listeria | 9 to 48 hours | Hot dogs, luncheon meats, unpasteurized milk and cheeses, and unwashed raw produce. Can be spread through contaminated soil and water. |
| Noroviruses (Norwalk-like viruses) | 12 to 48 hours | Raw, ready-to-eat produce and shellfish from contaminated water. Can be spread by an infected food handler. |
| Rotavirus | 1 to 3 days | Raw, ready-to-eat produce. Can be spread by an infected food handler. |
| Salmonella | 1 to 3 days | Raw or contaminated meat, poultry, milk or egg yolks. Survives inadequate cooking. Can be spread by knives, cutting surfaces or an infected food handler. |
| Shigella | 24 to 48 hours | Seafood and raw, ready-to-eat produce. Can be spread by an infected food handler. |
| Staphylococcus aureus | 1 to 6 hours | Meats and prepared salads, cream sauces and cream-filled pastries. Can be spread by hand contact, coughing and sneezing. |
| Vibrio vulnificus | 1 to 7 days | Raw oysters and raw or undercooked mussels, clams and whole scallops. Can be spread through contaminated seawater. |
Balderdash.
I guess it depends on what the meaning of the word contaminated is, because if so much chicken were "contaminated", we would be reading about people getting sick from it much more often, given the mind-bogglingly enormous amount of chicken that We the People collectively consume.
The fact is, our food supply is astonishingly safe, IMHO...
I remember when I got food poisoning back in 1965. My abdomen still hurts just thinking about it.
It turned out that everyone who ate the chicken and rice for supper got sick. I awoke that night with serious pain. My room mate asked. You got it too?
The Dr. was passing out paregoric in the staff center. It took around an hour but after that, I felt and was much better. They had to take a few to the hospital.
The next day the manager got on the microphone and told the staff that everyone in the nearby towns had it too, which was not true. After he quit, the staff Dr. got on the mic and said that might be true but he would recommend the kitchen crew to start washing their hands a lot more often. Everyone laughed.