Symptoms, Prevention & the Environmental Health Officer
Symptoms of Food-Induced Ill Health
When a person eats contaminated food or food they are allergic or intolerant to, they develop symptoms. The WJEC specification divides these into visible symptoms (those you can see) and non-visible symptoms (those the person feels internally but others cannot observe). Being able to recognise these symptoms is important for hospitality staff, as it helps them respond quickly and appropriately.
Visible Symptoms
Visible symptoms are those that can be observed by others. The specification lists the following:
Anaphylactic shock — a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction causing swelling of the throat and tongue, difficulty breathing, and a rapid drop in blood pressure. Requires immediate treatment with an adrenaline auto-injector and emergency medical care. Bloating — the stomach appears swollen and distended. Breathing difficulties — wheezing, shortness of breath, or gasping, often associated with allergic reactions. Chills — shivering and feeling cold, often accompanying a fever caused by bacterial infection.
Diarrhoea — frequent, loose, or watery stools, a very common symptom of food poisoning. Facial swelling — swelling around the eyes, lips, or face, typically an allergic reaction. Pale or sweating skin — the person looks pale, clammy, or sweaty. Rash — red, raised, or itchy patches on the skin. Vomiting — the body’s way of expelling contaminated food. Weight loss — longer-term symptom associated with ongoing conditions like coeliac disease or persistent food intolerance.
Visible symptoms include: anaphylactic shock, bloating, breathing difficulties, chills, diarrhoea, facial swelling, pale or sweating skin, rash, vomiting, and weight loss.
Non-Visible Symptoms
Non-visible symptoms are felt by the person but cannot be seen by others. The specification lists: constipation, feeling sick (nausea), painful joints, stomach-ache, weakness, and wind/flatulence. These symptoms are just as important as visible ones — a customer who feels nauseous or has severe stomach cramps is suffering, even though their symptoms are not immediately obvious to staff.
Preventative Control Measures
Prevention is far better than cure. The specification identifies three key control measures that hospitality businesses must follow to prevent food-induced ill health:
1. Preventing Cross Contamination
Cross contamination is the transfer of harmful bacteria or allergens from one food to another. It is one of the most common causes of food poisoning in catering. There are three types: direct (raw meat dripping onto cooked food in a fridge), indirect (using the same chopping board for raw chicken and salad without washing it), and hand-to-food (touching raw meat then handling bread without washing hands).
Prevention measures include: using colour-coded chopping boards (red for raw meat, blue for fish, green for salad, yellow for cooked meat, white for dairy, brown for vegetables), storing raw meat on the lowest shelf of the fridge (below cooked and ready-to-eat food), washing hands thoroughly between handling different foods, using separate utensils for raw and cooked food, and cleaning and sanitising work surfaces between tasks.
Red — raw meat. Blue — raw fish. Green — salad and fruit. Yellow — cooked meat. White — dairy and bakery products. Brown — vegetables. Using the correct colour-coded board for each food type prevents bacteria from raw foods being transferred to ready-to-eat foods. This is a simple but highly effective food safety measure used in professional kitchens.
2. Correct Temperature Control
Bacteria multiply rapidly in the danger zone between 5°C and 63°C. Temperature control is critical at every stage of the food chain:
Delivery — chilled food should arrive below 8°C and frozen food below −18°C. Reject any delivery outside these temperatures. Storage — fridges should be set between 0°C and 5°C, freezers at −18°C or below. Preparation — food should be kept out of the fridge for the minimum time possible during preparation. Cooking — food must reach a core temperature of at least 75°C to kill harmful bacteria. Service — hot food must be kept above 63°C. If food drops below this, it should be reheated to 75°C or discarded.
Key temperatures: Fridge 0–5°C | Freezer −18°C | Danger zone 5–63°C | Core cooking temperature at least 75°C. Bacteria multiply most rapidly in the danger zone.
3. Preventing Physical Contamination
Physical contamination occurs when a foreign object gets into food. Examples include hair, plasters (which is why blue plasters are used — they are easier to spot), pieces of packaging, glass, metal fragments from worn equipment, jewellery, and pests (insects, rodent droppings). Prevention measures include wearing hairnets, removing jewellery, maintaining equipment in good condition, keeping the kitchen clean and pest-free, and inspecting ingredients on delivery.
The Environmental Health Officer (EHO)
The Environmental Health Officer (EHO) is a local authority official who ensures food businesses comply with food safety and environmental health legislation. The WJEC specification lists seven key EHO responsibilities:
1. Inspecting businesses for food safety standards — checking hygiene, storage, equipment, and documentation. 2. Collecting evidence including food samples for testing, photographs, and conducting interviews with staff. 3. Following up outbreaks of food poisoning — investigating the source and taking action to prevent further cases. 4. Enforcing environmental health laws and following up complaints from the public. 5. Giving evidence in prosecutions when businesses have broken the law. 6. Maintaining evidence — keeping accurate, detailed records for potential court proceedings. 7. Submitting reports to the local authority on their findings and any enforcement action taken.
After an inspection, the EHO awards a food hygiene rating from 0 (urgent improvement necessary) to 5 (very good). In Wales and Northern Ireland, this rating must be displayed at the premises; in England, businesses are encouraged but not legally required to display it. Ratings are published online so customers can check them before visiting. A low rating can seriously damage a business’s reputation and customer numbers.