Have I given us all food poisoning, and if so what to do about it?

[InTheNightBakery]

I'm normally really good about taking care with food but had family over yesterday and made a cake and for some reason drizzled some Belgian chocolate sauce we had in the cupboard over the top without thinking. Just realised today it's supposed to be refrigerated after opening and used within 4 weeks, and I opened it at the end of November (know exactly when due to the thing I needed it for) so it's been opened and in the cupboard since then.

I know food poisoning normally kicks in within a day and we ate the cake after lunch yesterday but have read campylobacter takes 2-5 days and is really serious for older people (2 of the cake eaters are in their 70s). Is there any way to find out if I've given us all food poisoning and it hasn't hit yet, especially as then I'll keep a closer eye on the older people, and anything we can do to head it off or relieve symptoms if so?

I suspect it will be fine. Most of it will have been sugar surely.

I’d be v surprised if you’re not absolutely fine. Nothing you can do but wait and see now.

Hopefully but there are a lot of milk ingredients listed (hopefully too chemical-ised to still be anywhere near fresh milk if I'm lucky?)

Agree - unlikely to do anything bad unless it had fresh cream / dairy / milk in it. The best before date will e more about consistency I would have thought as it would get stickier / more granulated. It's not going to grow bacteria.

I think it will probably be fine. It will be mostly sugar. Like ketchup says refrigerate and eat within x weeks but lots of people leave it out the fridge for years. I wouldn't worry too much

Fingers crossed I'm panicking over nothing, will get dioralyte etc in just in case

Honestly, I’m sure you’ll be fine.

I've never kept it in the fridge (I prefer it warmer) and I've lived to tell the tale! I'd be stunned if you get food poisoning. It's sugar and powdered milk ingredients mostly.

Yes unless it's a really special one which contains fresh cream (and you'd know, and it would be in a squeeze bottle) it'll all be milk extract stuff surely.

Afraid to say it was in a squeeze bottle and did contain cream - was this one www.marksandspencerfoodhall.co.uk/nutrition/4e30ed7b-1f00-499f-b5d2-b6be8a659f2b--1475260385

You can't be poisoned by milk as pp it will be mostly sugarI reckon they will be fine .

I'm sure you should be fine - as someone said, it's mainly sugar ... I know people who keep mayo in the cupboard ... I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole

That will be fine. It wasn’t fresh cream (if it was you’d have bought it from the fridge section).

Honestly you'll be fine. Calm down.

There’s enough sugar in that to inhibit growth of most grim bacteria. I’ve never ever refrigerated mine and nothing untoward has ever happened.

Brill, thanks, will try not to panic anymore (am very nervy off anything related to d&v!)

Also, a date span in weeks or months basically means "this won't taste as nice after this time", not "this is a health hazard".

I’m an emetophobe and I’d eat it.

I wouldn't worry. So many products say, once open keep refrigerated and back in the 80s, we never did. Tomato puree and ketchup and jam were opened and left in the cupboard. We survived.

Really you are very unlikely to get poisoned from this

Undercooked chicken, yes

A factory made chocolate sauce, very unlikely

Anyway what does worrying about it achieve, you’ve eaten it now

Sorry I meant it wouldn't be in a squeeze bottle. If it contained fresh ingredients I'd expect it to be in a tub like cream or fresh custard etc.

My husband drank a Frijj milkshake that was five months past it's date and he didn't even get ill! It had been in the fridge at his mums all that time and he didn't drink it all but still!

Nah. Think how noxious off milk smells. If there was anything fresh that survived the sugar, you'd have smelt it well before it got to your mouth. You've won this one.

If you're still worrying I've heard a large dose of probiotics, live yoghurt or kefir can help as the good bacteria influx can help crowd out the bad bacteria. Continue for a few days. Although obviously it won't help with any toxins already produced, but harm from toxins usually shows up within 24hrs.

How are you all doing op?