Food poisoning symptoms typically start within a few hours to a few days after consuming contaminated food.
- Vomiting can begin as early as 2 to 4 hours after ingestion, especially with toxins like those from Staphylococcus aureus, which act quickly because the toxins are pre-formed.
- In general, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps usually start within 2 to 6 hours of eating contaminated food, although this may vary depending on the cause.
- Diarrhea from food poisoning often starts at least 4 to 6 hours after eating the contaminated food but can delay up to 3 days.
- Some infections can take longer, even days or weeks, to show symptoms depending on the pathogen involved.
So, the onset time varies widely, but commonly symptoms appear within hours, often between 2 to 6 hours after eating contaminated food.
