Food poisoning in Midland: report it and keep the proof
If you got sick after eating out in Midland, call the Midland Health Department at (432) 681-7613 or email [email protected]. It covers both the city and the county. A food poisoning suit generally has to be filed within 2 years.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (25)
What should you do first after food poisoning in Midland?
- Go to a provider and request a test. They can test a stool or blood sample.
- List every food you ate in the week before the illness began.
- Keep the food, or its original packaging or label.
- Report the restaurant or store to Midland Health.
- Go to the emergency room if you have bloody diarrhea, diarrhea for more than 3 days, a fever over 102 degrees, frequent vomiting or dehydration.
How long after eating do symptoms start?
| Germ | Usual start | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Norovirus | 12 to 48 hours | Fast enough that the last restaurant seems guilty |
| Salmonella | 6 hours to 6 days | A wide window, so the diary matters |
| E. coli | About 5 to 10 percent develop a serious kidney problem 3 to 4 days in | Needs the doctor or emergency room right away |
Illness often starts 2 to 3 days after eating. The cause is usually an earlier meal, not your most recent one. A lab test is what ties your illness to a germ, not a guess about a meal.
What does Midland Health do when you report food poisoning?
The City of Midland Health Services Department is the local health entity for both the city and the county. You may later get a letter. It is an interview request about a possible outbreak.
Do not expect a food test. The department does not test food, though in an outbreak it may collect food for the state to test. Some lab results go to PulseNet, which looks for people sick with the same strain. Even then, a positive food test alone cannot confirm the food was the source.
Your provider also has a duty. Texas requires providers, hospitals and labs to report suspected notifiable conditions.
Who is responsible if a Midland restaurant or store made you sick?
Texas counts a producer or processor as a manufacturer. A seller that did not make the product is usually not liable, unless the claimant proves an exception such as the seller actually knew of the defect.
A packaged food, a grocery item and a restaurant plate are different kinds of cases. A lawyer can sort out who made, handled and sold the food. Bring the diary, the receipt and the lab result.
- If your loss is $20,000 or less, Midland County justice courts hear claims up to that amount, at 301 S Main St., 2nd Floor.
- If you were admitted to the hospital, the hospital lien needs admission within 72 hours.
How long do you have to sue over food poisoning in Midland?
Two years in most Texas injury cases. Having over 50 percent of the fault means no recovery. That rarely comes up in food cases, but it is the rule.
Questions
Can Midland Health test the food that made me sick?
No. It does not test food, though in an outbreak it may collect food for the state to test.
Should I report it even if I am better?
Yes. Reports help find outbreaks, and many people never say anything.
What if I got sick from meat I bought at a store?
The seller is usually not liable if it did not make the product, unless an exception applies. The producer or processor is the usual target.
Do I need a doctor visit to make a claim?
A provider can test for the germ and write the visit down. Without it, tying the illness to one meal is much harder.
Food poisoning in Midland? See if you are owed money.
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See if I’m owed moneySources (25)
- City of Midland Environmental Services, checked 2026-11-09. “If you believe you have become ill from eating at a restaurant or other food establishment, contact your local health department. The health department is an important part of the food safety system, call (432) 681-7613 or report online at [email protected].”
- City of Midland Environmental Services, checked 2026-11-09. “the City of Midland Health Services Department is the local health entity for both the city and county.”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
- City of Midland FAQ, Notifiable Conditions, checked 2026-11-09. “We do not test food at the Health Department. In outbreak situations, we may collect food for the State Health Department to test.”
- CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Store or freeze food with the original packaging or label.”
- CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “The food that made you sick is usually not the last food you ate.”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 82.003, checked 2026-11-09. “A seller that did not manufacture a product is not liable for harm caused to the claimant by that product unless the claimant proves”
- CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “They can take a sample of your poop or blood and test it.”
- CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Write down everything you remember eating in the week before you got sick.”
- CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Severe food poisoning can cause bloody diarrhea, diarrhea that lasts more than 3 days, fever over 102°F, frequent vomiting, and dehydration.”
- CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “body aches are also possible 12 to 48 hours”
- CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Symptoms usually start 6 hours to 6 days after infection”
- CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Around 5–10% of people diagnosed with E. coli develop a life-threatening health problem called hemolytic uremic syndrome 3 to 4 days”
- CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Call the doctor or go to the emergency room immediately.”
- CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “It often takes 2 to 3 days to start feeling sick after eating a contaminated food.”
- City of Midland FAQ, Notifiable Conditions, checked 2026-11-09. “We are trying to contact you to interview about a notifiable condition of public health significance, to gather more information in case of possible outbreaks.”
- CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Some test results (without information that identifies you) are sent to PulseNet.”
- CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “PulseNet scientists look for groups of people sickened by bacteria with the same DNA fingerprint (strain).”
- CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “cannot by itself confirm that the food is the source of the outbreak”
- Texas DSHS, checked 2026-11-09. “Health care providers, hospitals, laboratories, schools, and others are required to report patients who are suspected of having a notifiable condition”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 82.001, checked 2026-11-09. “a designer, formulator, constructor, rebuilder, fabricator, producer, compounder, processor, or assembler of any product”
- Midland County, Justice Court Civil Cases, checked 2026-11-08. “The claim can be for no more than $20,000, excluding statutory interest and court costs but including attorney fees”
- Midland County, Justice of the Peace, checked 2026-11-08. “301 S Main St. 2nd Floor Midland , TX 79701”
- Tex. Prop. Code § 55.002, checked 2026-11-09. “For the lien to attach, the individual must be admitted to a hospital not later than 72 hours after the accident.”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001, checked 2026-11-08. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent”