Food poisoning, a type of foodborne illness, is a sickness people get from something they ate or drank. The causes are germs or other harmful things in the food or beverage.Symptoms of food poisoning often include upset stomach, diarrhea and vomiting. Symptoms usually start within hours or several days of eating the food. Most people have mild illness and get better without treatment. Food can be contaminated at any point from the farm or fishery to the table. The problem can begin during growing, harvesting or catching, processing, storing, shipping, or preparing.