PREVRA The Big 6 Foodborne Illnesses: Know the Pathogens Behind UK Food Poisoning
A training poster covering the six most significant foodborne pathogens in the UK. Each entry covers the source, symptoms, onset time, and the specific controls that prevent it.
Why understanding pathogens is essential for food safety competence
Food handlers who understand why they are following procedures follow them more consistently. Telling someone to wash their hands is less effective than explaining that Campylobacter — the UK's most common cause of food poisoning, responsible for an estimated 280,000 cases annually — is commonly transferred from raw poultry to surfaces and then to ready-to-eat food via unwashed hands.
Under SFBB, staff training is a prerequisite programme. An EHO may ask any food handler basic questions about foodborne illness during an inspection. A training poster covering the Big 6 gives your team the knowledge they need to answer confidently and, more importantly, to work safely.
Using the Big 6 poster for ongoing staff training
Display this poster in your staff room, training area, and kitchen noticeboard. Use it as the basis for a 10-minute team briefing: pick one pathogen per week and discuss which controls in your kitchen prevent it. This turns passive awareness into active engagement with your food safety system.
Digital SFBB includes a training module that tracks which staff have completed food safety topics. Combined with this poster, you can demonstrate to an EHO that your team's knowledge is current and documented — not just assumed.
Quick reference: the Big 6 pathogens at a glance
Campylobacter: raw poultry, 2-5 day onset, prevented by thorough cooking and hand washing. Salmonella: raw eggs and poultry, 12-72 hour onset, prevented by cooking to 75°C. E. coli O157: undercooked minced beef, 1-8 day onset, prevented by cooking burgers to 75°C throughout. Listeria: soft cheese and chilled ready-to-eat foods, up to 70 day onset, prevented by strict date control and fridge temperatures below 5°C. Norovirus: infected food handlers, 12-48 hour onset, prevented by 48-hour exclusion after symptoms. Clostridium perfringens: large batches of meat left to cool slowly, 8-24 hour onset, prevented by rapid cooling within 90 minutes.
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