Food poisoning on rise as more eat out, says study

The growth in the popularity of dining out is the major reason for a fivefold increase in food poisoning, according to medical research. In a study published in the medical journal the Lancet, 284 patients at St Thomas' hospital in London were asked to write down what they had eaten, and where, during the week before they were admitted to hospital.

The results found that the 112 patients admitted for food poisoning were two-and-a-half times more likely to have eaten in a restaurant in the previous two days.

In England and Wales, 17,733 food poisoning sufferers consulted their doctors in 1983, compared with a peak of 93,932 in 1998 and 86,528 last year.

But according to the Food Standards Agency, the true numbers are much greater, as only 17% of sufferers seek medical attention.

The study concluded that further research was necessary to see whether regular eating out increased immunity to poisoning.