Tummy feeling funny? It’s not always the last thing you ate, according to the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services — but they still want to know about it if you suspect food poisoning from a local establishment.

In an effort to make it easier to report possible food-borne illness, the department has launched an online reporting system.

“(Food-borne illness) is grossly under reported, we’re hoping this makes it more convenient,” said Nora Barin, Long Beach Epidemiologist.

While most people might say they have gotten food poisoning from a restaurant, few will say they sought medical treatment and even fewer will say they reported it to any authorities, Nelson Kerr, Manager of the Environmental Health Bureau said.

Before the new system was launched, people who wanted to report food-borne illness would have to call the department and go through a lengthy verbal questionnaire. The department would average about 72 calls per year, Kerr said.

“Platforms such as Yelp and IwasPoisoned.com already exist as avenues to report complaints or leave reviews,” Kerr said. “However, the Health Department Foodborne Illness Incident Report will collect more detailed information, allowing our health inspectors to promptly investigate, take action, and make corrections if needed to prevent further illnesses.”

The other online platforms also rarely provide an opportunity for recourse, he said.

The expectation is that with an easier way to report, the department will begin to see more. When someone fills out the online report, they are asked to detail their symptoms, the food they ate and if they sought medical care. The complainant is asked to leave a phone number so the department can call back with additional questions.

Food poisoning can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites and common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea, according to the department. Anything consumed within three days from when the symptoms appear is a potential culprit.

Once the department receives the report, an epidemiologist will look at the symptoms and when the person got sick. If they think it might be a foodborne illness, they refer it to the Environmental Health Bureau and they may send a health inspector to the suspected establishment. The consumer can later request the health report.

But that doesn’t always guarantee a resolution for that specific consumer.

“For a large number of complaints, the results are going to be inconclusive,” Kerr said. “But what we can do is we can monitor all the complaints and see if one restaurant is showing up 12 times, then we can look into it further.”

While Los Angeles and Orange County both already offer online reporting, this is new to Long Beach, which is one of three city-run health departments in the state.