Causes of foodborne illness

One of our key priorities is to protect consumers in Scotland from the risks of foodborne illness.

Food poisoning, also known as foodborne illness, is most frequently caused by eating or drinking food which has become contaminated with harmful microbiological agents, or pathogens, including bacteria and viruses.

Fact

There are around 43,000 cases of foodborne illness in Scotland every year, with 5,800 GP presentations and 500 hospital admissions. 

The five main microbiological agents that cause illness are: 

We have developed a strategy for reducing foodborne illness in Scotland. We work closely with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Scottish partners such as Public Health Scotland (PHS) to target the bacterial and viral pathogens which cause the highest number of cases of foodborne illness.