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Original poster

Chances we've been food poisoned?

44 replies

Foodpoisoned · 10/06/2023 22:18

DH did the food shop earlier, didn't think to take a cool bag. It's about a 15 mins drive away, in a car with no air con so would have been roasting hot. (30 degrees here).

I thought nothing of it until we got ice creams out for pudding and they were completely melted. Even though they had been put away in the freezer once DH got home and would have spent about 30 mins in there before we got them out again.

We had just eaten salmon from the shop for dinner. Are we all going to get food poisoned? I cant imagine that fish would have been very fresh after that car ride ( and knowing DH who takes an age to do the shopping, it probably had sat in the trolley for a while before the car ride as well) .

Urgh, feel sick just thinking about it

OP posts:
CremeEgg1983 · 10/06/2023 22:21

I do know that once ice cream has melted then you shouldn't re-freeze it. I probably wouldn't eat that.

Original poster
Foodpoisoned · 10/06/2023 22:24

He let our 5 year old have one before I could intervene :( I saved the 2 year old from the same fate. Although technically it wasn't refrozen as still soft. So it had melted in the car, re-cooled down a bit in the freezer when we got home but not enough to re-freeze.

He's so lax with stuff like this as he NEVER gets sick. I'll be so mad if we do... our toddler ate a whole entire piece of salmon as well...

OP posts:
mynameiscalypso · 10/06/2023 22:25

I think you'll be fine - I've never taken a cool bag to a supermarket in my life and I've often gone 30mins in the car from supermarket to home in 30C+ (my family has a house in rural France). I would always need to leave ice creams around 6 hours in those circumstances.

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General health
bornintheuk2 · 10/06/2023 22:26

We got food poisoning from icecream we bought that had thawed then frozen by the vendor. By the time we'd driven 100miles home we were both seriously ill. Hope you are both Ok. Don't take Imodium though - let it run it's course

DocCee · 10/06/2023 22:28

I live in Australia - my ice cream is always soft by the time I reach home. I’m sure you will all be fine.

TakeMyStrongHand · 10/06/2023 22:28

Sounds like you're safe with the ice cream as it wasn't frozen again. That being said, I've eaten refrozen ice cream and been fine numerous times so even if it was refrozen, I wouldn't panic unnecessarily.

Re the salmon, I also think you're safe. I've also never taken a cool bag shopping. It may have got warm in the car but then it has been properly cooked not long after.

Original poster
Foodpoisoned · 10/06/2023 22:29

@mynameiscalypso that makes me feel so much better!

@bornintheuk2 that makes me feel so much worse! Did you drive that same day? (I.e. how quickly will I know? Next 24 hours?). Hopefully as it was still soft when we ate it, it just counts as thawed ice cream, not re-frozen.

OP posts:
cocksstrideintheevening · 10/06/2023 22:29

You'll be fine

Letsdance8188 · 10/06/2023 22:30

Is there any other option? Most people have to drive much further than 15 mins home from the supermarket and its never occurred to me that this would be an issue in the summer.

Original poster
Foodpoisoned · 10/06/2023 22:33

Thank you all, I think it's a slim risk but still a risk. I will just have to keep my fingers crossed. I'm more worried about the children, they're so little.

@Letsdance8188 I've always taken a cool bag with a few ice blocks in this situation, I thought everyone did. Also I guess most people have air con in the car, not this one unfortunately

OP posts:
miniegg3 · 10/06/2023 22:35

I think the main issue with ice cream is if it thaws and sits for a while at a dangerous temperature before being re frozen.. I'm sure your 5 year old will be OK but would chuck it out now.
As for the salmon again I think with it hasn't been eaten straight away again will be fine. I wouldn't want it in a hot car then kept in the fridge until the use by date though. I am really fussy with food and even I think you will be fine. Its horrible waiting to see if you get ill though after eating something you're unsure about 😩

Original poster
Foodpoisoned · 10/06/2023 22:39

Thank you @miniegg3 exactly, I have a bit of a fear of vomiting and general anxiety which isn't helping.

DH got annoyed with me for even bringing it up as he thinks it's a non issue...

It's just so not worth the risk with the little ones. Food poisoning isn't going to be great for a small child is it... urgh, annoying.

OP posts:
ABugWife · 10/06/2023 22:42

I don't think this is really something to worry about. I have never taken a cool bag shopping in my life.

ThanksItHasPockets · 10/06/2023 22:43

If any of you were going to be unwell it would probably have happened by now. I honestly wouldn’t have given this a second thought. Please try not to fret.

Alloveragain3 · 10/06/2023 22:43

We lived in a very hot country for several years and we lived rurally so had to drive 30-40 mins each way to the supermarket.

Never brought cool bags. Never had food poisoning.

miniegg3 · 10/06/2023 22:47

Foodpoisoned · 10/06/2023 22:39

Thank you @miniegg3 exactly, I have a bit of a fear of vomiting and general anxiety which isn't helping.

DH got annoyed with me for even bringing it up as he thinks it's a non issue...

It's just so not worth the risk with the little ones. Food poisoning isn't going to be great for a small child is it... urgh, annoying.

I do too.. I feel your pain! 🫣

Having said that,a lady at work tonight asked me to wrap up a bit of her leftover chicken so she could "make a nice salad with it tomorrow"
I later realised she was staying at our hotel which don't have fridges in the rooms. She was still sat with it next to her 3 hours later in the bar when I left 🤢

Honestly though I really think you will all be totally fine!

StrugglingWeight · 10/06/2023 22:52

The ice cream is because it can pick up listeria that isn't stopped by being frozen, so the bacteria can reproduce. But it takes time. It's more if you open the ice cream, eat a bit, allow it to melt and then refreeze opening up 3 weeks later.

Eating thawed ice cream or ice cream that has been recently refrozen is not going to give you food poisoning. Especially if it remains sealed. There is no magic food bacteria that appears at the refreezing process

I highly doubt salmon that's been out the fridge for 30minutes will make you sick. I don't know anyone that takes a cool bag to the supermarket

Original poster
Foodpoisoned · 10/06/2023 22:53

miniegg3 · 10/06/2023 22:47

I do too.. I feel your pain! 🫣

Having said that,a lady at work tonight asked me to wrap up a bit of her leftover chicken so she could "make a nice salad with it tomorrow"
I later realised she was staying at our hotel which don't have fridges in the rooms. She was still sat with it next to her 3 hours later in the bar when I left 🤢

Honestly though I really think you will all be totally fine!

Show quote history

I really envy her! Imagine living your life on the edge like that like it's no big deal haha.

Me on the other hand, just reading that I could visualise bacteria multiplying on the chicken and started feeling a bit sick!

OP posts:
bonfirebash · 10/06/2023 22:55

You're fine. I did the same today, 10-15 min drive in 30c and no AC in my car so it was hot!

Myusername4321 · 10/06/2023 22:58

Wait, What! I did not know this about ice-cream, the amount of times we've had a tub of Ben and Jerry's or whatever that's melted and we've put back in the fridge 😱

Lifeinlists · 10/06/2023 22:58

Unless the food was mysteriously contaminated between buying and eating it, there wasn't a risk. There wasn't time for it to become harmful.

Food poisoning bacteria need time to multiply - lots more time than you're describing, and they'd have to be there in the first place.
I predict you'll still all be fine tomorrow!

DappledThings · 10/06/2023 23:00

DH got annoyed with me for even bringing it up as he thinks it's a non issue...
I'm with him

YouAndMeAndThem · 10/06/2023 23:04

Even with air con the car is going to be hot, there's no air con on the boot! I've never taken a cool bag shopping, never even thought about the time the food is not in the fridge. Often takes me longer than 15 mins to get home, unpack children, being shopping in then actually unpack the shopping too.

coloursquare · 10/06/2023 23:04

I'm constant putting thawed ice cream
back in the freezer. How many times have you heard of anyone getting ill from ice cream??

Paulla82 · 10/06/2023 23:06

I think you'll all be absolutely fine!!