Food poisoning in San Antonio: report it, keep the proof, find a lawyer

Report food poisoning to San Antonio Metro Health, which also covers unincorporated Bexar County. The city has a Food Illness/Poisoning form on 311. Keep the packaging and write down everything you ate in the last week. Texas generally allows 2 years to file a lawsuit.

Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (43)

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Your last meal is usually not the one that made you sick. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Who do I report food poisoning to in San Antonio?

Tell the health department that covers the place where you ate. In the city that is Metro Health, and it also serves unincorporated areas of Bexar County.

  1. Fill out the Food Illness/Poisoning request on the city's 311 site, or call 311.
  2. See a doctor. A provider can test stool or blood.
  3. Ask the doctor to report the case. Texas providers and labs must report notifiable conditions.
  4. If it was meat or poultry, you can also call the USDA hotline.

Reports matter beyond your case. They help health workers find outbreaks.

How do I know which San Antonio meal made me sick?

It is rarely the last one. Illness often starts 2 to 3 days after the meal. Write down the last week of food, the places, the dates and who else ate with you.

GermHow soon sick people often feel it
Staph30 minutes to 8 hours
Norovirus12 to 48 hours
Salmonella6 hours to 6 days
Campylobacter2 to 5 days
ListeriaUsually within 2 weeks

Lab tests can take 1 to 3 days, and a case can take 3 to 4 weeks to show up in reports. A health worker may ask for receipts or leftovers.

What does Metro Health check at San Antonio restaurants?

The city's inspection form treats items 1 to 27 as major violations that must be fixed immediately. Several are about the things that make people sick:

  • Cold food must be kept at 41 degrees F or below.
  • Poultry must be cooked to at least 165 degrees F.
  • A manager must send home a worker diagnosed with norovirus, hepatitis A, Salmonella typhi, Shigella or shiga toxin E. coli.

A violation on a report is a clue, not proof that it made you sick. A positive food test is not enough alone either. Contamination can happen at any step in the food chain.

Who pays when food from a San Antonio restaurant or store makes you sick?

In Texas, a claim over food is a product claim. The maker includes producers and processors. A store or seller that did not make the food is usually not liable. Oysters are listed as a known-risk product, with an exception for a manufacturing defect.

Your health plan usually pays your bills first. A hospital can claim a lien if you were admitted within 72 hours. If you share the blame and a jury puts you over 50 percent, you recover nothing. For a child, the time limit pauses until age 18.

What if a city-run event or park concession in San Antonio served the food?

Then a different clock starts. The city charter requires written notice to the city manager or city clerk within 90 days. The notice has to cover when, where and how it happened, how bad the illness is and the damages you claim. All claims against the city start at the City Clerk.

When is food poisoning an emergency in San Antonio?

Some cases turn serious. About 5 to 10 percent of people with E. coli develop HUS, a kidney problem that shows up 3 to 4 days in. HUS is a medical emergency. Listeria carries extra risks in pregnancy. Some problems from food poisoning never go away.

University Hospital is a Level I trauma center, but any emergency room can treat you. Tell the staff what you ate and when.

Questions

Can I sue if I can't prove which restaurant it was?

It is hard. Traceback can have gaps, such as a missing brand or date, and a food test alone does not prove the cause. A doctor's test and your food diary help.

How common is food poisoning?

The CDC says about 48 million people get sick a year in the United States. About 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die.

Does reporting to 311 start a lawsuit?

No. A report helps health workers look for an outbreak. A claim for your bills is separate, and the Texas deadline is generally 2 years.

Do I need to keep the food?

Yes, if you still have it. Keep the original packaging, because it can help match the food to the brand and date.

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Sources (43)

  1. San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, checked 2026-11-09. “provides public health services in San Antonio and unincorporated areas of Bexar County”
  2. City of San Antonio 311, checked 2026-11-09. “Food Illness/Poisoning”
  3. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Store or freeze food with the original packaging or label.”
  4. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Write down everything you remember eating in the week before you got sick.”
  5. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  6. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “The food that made you sick is usually not the last food you ate.”
  7. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “cannot by itself confirm that the food is the source of the outbreak”
  8. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “They can take a sample of your poop or blood and test it.”
  9. 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”
  10. USDA FSIS, checked 2026-11-09. “Call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854)”
  11. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Promptly reporting your illness helps your local or state health department identify foodborne outbreaks.”
  12. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “It often takes 2 to 3 days to start feeling sick after eating a contaminated food.”
  13. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “diarrhea 30 minutes to 8 hours”
  14. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “body aches are also possible 12 to 48 hours”
  15. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Symptoms usually start 6 hours to 6 days after infection”
  16. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “fever, stomach cramps 2 to 5 days”
  17. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Symptoms of invasive illness usually start within 2 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria.”
  18. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “the laboratory takes 1–3 days to run tests”
  19. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “The reporting lag for a foodborne outbreak is usually 3–4 weeks.”
  20. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “They may also ask for copies of receipts, your shopper card number, or leftover food for testing.”
  21. San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, checked 2026-11-09. “Items 1 – 27 are Major Violations – Establishments must take corrective action immediately.”
  22. San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, checked 2026-11-09. “shall be maintained at 41°F or below”
  23. San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, checked 2026-11-09. “155°F for pork, meat, fish, game animals, and 165°F for all poultry”
  24. San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, checked 2026-11-09. “Food Manager shall exclude a food employee from the food establishment if the food employee is diagnosed with an infection agent: Norovirus, hepatitis A, Salmonella typhi, Shigella spp.”
  25. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Contamination can occur at any point along the chain”
  26. 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”
  27. 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”
  28. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 82.004, checked 2026-11-09. “(B) an oyster.”
  29. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 82.004, checked 2026-11-09. “does not include an action based on manufacturing defect or breach of an express warranty”
  30. 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.”
  31. 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”
  32. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001, checked 2026-11-08. “the time of the disability is not included in a limitations period”
  33. San Antonio City Charter, Article XII, Sec. 150 (Municode), checked 2026-11-08. “notice in writing of such death, injury or destruction within ninety days after the injury has been sustained”
  34. San Antonio City Charter, Article XII, Sec. 150 (Municode), checked 2026-11-08. “stating in such written notice when, where and how the death, injury or destruction occurred”
  35. City of San Antonio, Office of Risk Management FAQs, checked 2026-11-08. “All claims against the City must originate from the City Clerk”
  36. 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”
  37. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Call the doctor or go to the emergency room immediately.”
  38. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.”
  39. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “For some people, these health problems can last for weeks or months after recovering from a foodborne illness.”
  40. University Health, Trauma Care, checked 2026-11-08. “verified by the American College of Surgeons as both a Level I trauma center and a Level I pediatric trauma center”
  41. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “a sick person might not have information on the specific brand or production date of a food they ate”
  42. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “CDC estimates that 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness every year.”
  43. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Of those, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die.”

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