Year-long survey to examine extent of food poisoning

Members of the public have been encouraged to participate in the most comprehensive survey undertaken to estimate the incidence of food poisoning in the Irish population.

The all-Ireland survey of almost 10,000 people will be carried out over the next year.

Participants will be asked whether they had gastrointestinal symptoms over the previous four weeks and the type of medical attention they sought.

Bodies such as the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and Northern Ireland's Food Standards Agency are overseeing the project.

Last year, more than 4,500 people reported food poisoning or gastroenteritis, according to Dr Derval Igoe, the National Disease Surveillance Centre's public health specialist.

"The truth is that these statistics only represent a fraction of the incidence of gastroenteritis in the country," she said.

Only a small proportion of food-poisoning victims actually consulted a doctor and even fewer underwent tests to identify the cause of the illness, Dr Igoe said.

"This survey will provide important information on self-reported gastrointestinal symptoms, in terms of the numbers of incidents, their duration and seasonality as well as the socio-demographic profile of those who report illness."

Better-focused health and food safety strategies aimed at preventing food poisoning would be the result of this telephone survey, according to Dr Margaret Fitzgerald, FSAI chief public health specialist.

She encouraged members of the public contacted by the survey team to participate. Telephone numbers would be chosen randomly in both jurisdictions, with one person selected from each household.