You asked
I am writing to ask that you provide me with the number of people who died as a result of food poisoning in England and Wales (or Britain) in 2018 and 2019.
We said
Thank you for your request.
All of our mortality data comes from the information collected at death registration. All of the conditions mentioned on the death certificate are coded using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). From all of these causes an underlying cause of death is selected using ICD-10 coding rules. The underlying cause of death is defined by WHO as:
a) the disease or injury that initiated the train of events directly leading to death, or
b) the circumstances of the accident or violence that produced the fatal injury
Table 8 of the Deaths Registered Series (2006 to 2018) presents numbers of deaths from food poisoning where it was a consequence of an external cause - more specifically, deaths where the underlying cause was an external cause and the secondary cause of death was T62 'Toxic effect of other noxious substances eaten as food'.
Data relating to 2019 will be released in August 2020.
Bespoke tables, using more specific definitions, can be produced as an ad hoc service and in line with our Charging Policy.