Foodborne infections can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and other symptoms. Proper hygiene will prevent contamination and further spreading. For instance, wash your hands before preparing dinner, and after each visit to the toilet. Also pay particular attention to separating your prepared and unprepared food. Put food in the refrigerator within two hours, chop your meat and vegetables on separate cutting boards and wash tea towels at 60 degrees.

The safety of our food is determined in part by the presence of chemicals, some of which may not be permitted in foods. RIVM contributes to chemical food safety by supporting governments with risk assessment, consultancy, methodology development and more.

Eating fish is healthy. That is why fish is a recommended food. But how much fish can we sustainably consume? And what are possible alternatives? FISSH is a RIVM research project that addresses this complex social issue.

The Front Office Food and Product Safety operated by RIVM and RIKILT answers ad-hoc questions about the safety of food and consumer products posed by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).