Summer food poisoning requires the most caution in July. While many think of midsummer August as the danger period, recent statistics show patients cluster more in the earlier month of July.
According to Ministry of Food and Drug Safety data released Sunday, July recorded more patients than August for five consecutive years from 2020 to 2024. In July 2024, the number of patients reached 1,793, exceeding August's 1,192 by more than 600, and in 2023 the gap was also wide, with 1,563 in July and 977 in August.
"From 2019 to 2024, there were many restaurant food poisoning patients in July," a Ministry of Food and Drug Safety official said. "There were some cases where bacterial food poisoning such as Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella was somewhat more common in July than in August, but it is difficult to estimate a specific cause."
Statistics also confirm that summer itself is a vulnerable period for food poisoning. Of the 63,979 patients that occurred over the 10 years from 2015 to 2024, 57%, or 36,536, were concentrated between June and September. This is interpreted as the effect of faster bacterial growth as temperature and humidity rise simultaneously.
Warning signs have also been raised this year. On a preliminary basis, the number of patients reached 9,612, up 26% from the same period last year. Confirmed statistics for 2025 have not yet been released, but the difference between preliminary and confirmed figures tends to be small.
The causative agents narrow down to two. The ministry's analysis of the summers (June to August) from 2021 to 2025 found Salmonella at 38% and pathogenic E. coli at 23%, with the two combined accounting for more than 60% of the total. Salmonella was mainly detected in foods using eggs such as gimbap and egg garnish, while pathogenic E. coli was mainly detected in school meals, raw beef, and kimchi.
Prevention lies in basic hygiene rules. Vegetables should be washed thoroughly, water should be boiled before drinking, and separate knives and cutting boards should be used when handling meat and seafood.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety operates a "food poisoning prediction map" website that shows risk levels by region, while also strengthening hygiene inspections of egg and seafood handling businesses and promotion at tourist destinations. "Cooking ingredients thoroughly and eating them as soon as possible after preparation is the most important thing," a ministry official stressed.
