Can You Get Food Poisoning From Other People?

If you have food poisoning, you or someone in your household may wonder if the symptoms are contagious. No one wants to spread illnesses to their friends, family, or coworkers. In many cases, food poisoning isn’t contagious. But there are some exceptions and situations where you can potentially spread it to others.

It can be hard to know whether your specific case is contagious or not. Below, we’ll go into more detail about how food poisoning spreads, plus what you can do to keep the people around you safe.

Is food poisoning contagious from person to person?

Whether or not food poisoning is contagious depends on what caused the illness. 

“Food poisoning” generally means that someone became sick after eating food contaminated with a harmful germ or toxin. An outbreak can occur when several people eat the same contaminated food. The illness may appear to spread through a group — even though each person was exposed to the same food.

Some causes of food poisoning aren’t contagious. An example is an illness caused by a toxin. A toxin is a harmful chemical made by certain bacteria. If you get sick from a toxin in food, it isn’t contagious. These illnesses don’t spread from one person to another.

But if your food poisoning is caused by a virus or bacteria that has contaminated the food, the illness can be contagious through contact with vomit or stool. This is where the distinction between food poisoning and stomach flu (viral gastroenteritis) becomes a little murkier. 

For example, take norovirus and certain types of E. coli. These germs can be present in an infected person’s vomit or stool. The germs can then spread through unwashed hands, surfaces, or shared objects. 

Norovirus is especially contagious. It can spread in many different ways, including through contaminated food, direct contact with a sick person, and contaminated surfaces. 

Here’s the point to remember: It’s safest to assume that vomiting or diarrhea could be contagious, even if you suspect food poisoning. Based on symptoms alone, it can be impossible to know which bacteria or virus is causing the illness.

What causes food poisoning?

Food poisoning can be caused by many different microbes, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Food can become contaminated during growing, processing, preparation, or storage. 

Some microbes can also multiply when food is left at room temperature for too long, as follows:

• Bacterial infections can develop after eating contaminated food. Bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, and Campylobacter may be found in raw or undercooked meat or poultry. They can also contaminate fruits and vegetables. Listeria is another bacterium that can contaminate foods such as deli meats and certain soft cheeses.

• Bacterial toxins can also form in food. These toxins can cause food poisoning without causing an actual infection in the body. Bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus can produce toxins.

• Viruses can contaminate food as well. A common example is norovirus — often associated with outbreaks in places like cruise ships and day care centers. Hepatitis A is another virus that can spread through contaminated food or water.

• Parasites can also cause food poisoning. Cyclospora and Giardia are examples.

How do you know if you have food poisoning?

Most people recognize the symptoms of food poisoning as soon as they start:

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Abdominal pain and cramping

• Fever and chills

But recognizing those telltale symptoms is different than knowing where they came from. More specifically, you may not know if your symptoms are from something you ate (food poisoning) or another person (gastroenteritis).

Looking at your recent history can help. Here are some clues that your symptoms are from food poisoning, rather than a contagious illness:

• You have an idea of the food that might be to blame. For example, you may have had a noticeably undercooked hamburger.

• Other people who ate the same food as you also developed similar symptoms.

How do you know if you might be contagious?

The short answer is that you won’t know for sure if you’re contagious or not. This is because most of the time, you don’t find out the exact cause of food poisoning (or whether it was truly food poisoning in the first place). Most cases of food poisoning resolve before someone sees a healthcare professional or gets any formal testing.

If you do see a healthcare professional, they might order stool tests to see what’s causing the symptoms. These tests may include growing bacteria in cultures or examining the stool for signs of parasites. But even these tests don’t always find the cause. At the end of the day, for most cases of food poisoning, it’s hard to know if you’re contagious or not.

Food poisoning caused by a toxin already present in food doesn’t spread person to person. But again, it’s usually difficult to know this for sure without identifying the cause.

Should you stay home if you have food poisoning?

It’s best to stay home if you have symptoms of food poisoning. This way, you can avoid spreading infections to other people if you happen to be contagious. And it’s helpful to rest. Plus, nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea make it hard to feel like doing much else.

Most of the time, you can recover on your own with home treatments for food poisoning, such as: 

• Rest

• Hydration

• Over-the-counter (OTC) medications

So, take the time you need to recover, and keep your distance from other people until you feel better. This is especially true if any of your friends or family are pregnant, immunocompromised, or very young or old. It’s also very important to stay home if you work in food service, as you may expose many other people.

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Written by:

Michael Dreis, MD

Dr. Dreis is an emergency medicine physician currently practicing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He went to medical school at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and completed his residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.

Edited by:

Meredith Hoffa

Meredith Hoffa is a senior health editor at GoodRx, where she leads journalists and clinicians covering various well-being topics, particularly in diet and nutrition.

Reviewed by:

Karen Hovav, MD, FAAP

Karen Hovav, MD, FAAP, has more than 15 years of experience as an attending pediatrician. She has worked in a large academic center in an urban city, a small community hospital, a private practice, and an urgent care clinic.

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