NHS Highland and the council’s environmental health are investigating three suspected cases of Scombrotoxin food poisoning linked to a Tesco store in Inverness. For those who don’t know, as it is one of the least common strains of food related illnesses, Scombrotoxin is caused by toxins found in fresh fish which hasn’t been stored at the correct temperature. It is one of the most instantaneous of all the food poisoning bacteria and symptoms, including: sweating, headache, diarrhoea and a rash, can appear within a few minutes of eating the contaminated fish.

According to reports, the cases have been linked to fresh tuna steaks on sale at the Tesco store. This just goes to show that, being aware of food safety doesn’t start and stop with cooking at home and eating out at restaurants. Consumers must consider the standards of their local shops and supermarkets and if they aren’t 100 per cent convinced that the food is being presented/stored correctly, then they should move down the high street to the next establishment.

Food hygiene has been in the news a lot recently. Heston Blumenthal took the decision to close his restaurant after a suspected scare (tests later proved inconclusive) and a string of celebrities, Alexa Chung, Stephen Fry and Josh Hartnett, being affected by food poisoning. We thought it would be a good idea to share the facts about the most common food related illness of them all, Salmonella.

For infants, the elderly, people with chronic diseases or immune system deficiencies, Salmonella can be particularly dangerous. The associated bacteria can be found in foods of animal origin, including pork, poultry, milk, eggs, beef and in any food that may have come into contact with infected produce through cross contamination.

If you are unfortunate enough to become infected, symptoms usually start 12 hours to three days after being exposed and can include diarrhoea, fever, abdominal cramps, headache, loss of appetite and vomiting, which can last four to seven days.

Sufferers are advised to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, and if symptoms persist or increase in severity then contact your doctor immediately. It is also essential that you inform the establishment where you believe the food poisoning originated from and the local health authorities so the incident can be investigated to avoid anyone else becoming infected.