Food Safety on Vacation 2025-04-01
Eating on your travels:
Health and safety tips for eating in restaurants
Exploring unique eating customs and cuisines of your host country makes travel exciting for anyone- foodie or not. But before diving headfirst in Pad Thai when you’re in Thailand or sushi in Japan, pasta in Italy or tacos in Mexico, it’s crucial to exercise caution to prevent food-borne diseases.
The experiences of new culinary delights (foods, flavours, and cooking traditions) is one of the exciting parts of travel. On the flip side, eating local cuisine when travelling overseas increases your chances of getting food poisoning and traveller’s diarrhea. According to a CDC report, traveller’s diarrhea is a common travel-related disease, with attack rates ranging from 30%-70% within a 2-week period. It is believed traveller’s diarrhea and food poisoning can be prevented when you peel, boil, and cook meals. However, people still get ill after following these rules. Reason: poor hygiene practices and deficiencies in sanitation infrastructure in local restaurants, which create a home for intestinal pathogens to live. True, you can’t eliminate the risk of consuming foods and drinks contaminated by bacteria completely. But you can reduce the possibilities by observing where you’re eating and your hygiene. In this post, we’ll discuss a few things to remember when eating out to ensure you’re staying fit and healthy while travelling.
Be Mindful Of Restaurant Safety
Over 800 food-borne illnesses are reported to the CDC every year, with 60 percent linked to foods served in restaurants. You can get food-related diseases by eating anywhere (who hasn’t regretted enjoying a salad bar from the grocery store or tasty street food?). However, food cross-contamination rates in restaurants are high because of the lack of safety policies, food safety training, and hand washing practices. That said, be cautious of the cleanliness and safety of the places you plan to dine in. Start with customer reviews online to ensure your preferred cafe prioritizes the highest level of hygiene. Positive client testimonials mention clean tables, floors, utensils, restrooms, and staff.
You could also ask locals where they eat instead of where you should eat. Restaurants where locals eat are more likely to maintain cleanliness and staff hygiene (servers wearing clean clothes, gloves and covering food). When you’re inside a restaurant, observe if the premise is clean. Look at the tables. Are they free of any food droplets, dirt, or drink spills? How about the utensils and floors? The best hotels and eateries invest in restaurant floor cleaning services that meet health standards. From the front door to the back of the kitchen, the floors should be clean, grease-free to prevent slips and falls. Clean floors promote food safety by eliminating food cross-contamination, which can be caused by roaches and rats wandering around dirty kitchens.
Choose Cooked Meals Over Raw Foods
Consuming warm foods or raw delicacies like shellfish might sound ideal. After all, having a culinary adventure is part of your travel plans. But warm and raw meals served in unfamiliar places might harbour bacteria and parasites that cause food poisoning, cholera, and typhoid. So, stick to foods cooked and served at hot temperatures. A restaurant committed to protecting its clients’ health prepares and keeps food at the recommended food safety temperatures of 140°F or 60°C. You’re likely thinking, what about buffets? Are they a safe bet? Unfortunately, buffets are a breeding ground for bacteria as they stay out of the heat for too long.
If you must consume raw veggies or fruits, make sure they haven’t been sitting out of the refrigerator for over two hours. Most importantly, wash them properly with bottled or boiled water, as tap water might carry harmful parasites and bacteria that stick on the fruits and veggies. And you end up eating them, causing food poisoning. Something else you don’t want to overlook is the ingredients, especially if you have food allergies. Discuss your dietary needs with the staff to ensure they serve you hot meals prepared with ingredients you can consume without getting sick.
Manage Personal Hygiene
Imagine sampling delicious cuisine at the safest restaurant in your travel destination. Only to experience food-borne illness and find out you’re to blame for not managing your hygiene. You’ll be disappointed at yourself for ruining an amazing trip. Note, bacteria responsible for food poisoning can be on everyone and are spread from touching your hair, mouth, nose, clothes, and your food. One way to prevent food poisoning using good hygiene is by washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water before eating and after going to the toilet. If you have children tagging along, be extra careful by ensuring they don’t put their fingers in the mouth. Remember, if there’s no clean water (boiled or bottled water), use disposable wipes or an alcohol-based sanitizer. When in doubt of the cleanliness of cutlery, use sanitizing wipes to get rid of unseen germs.
Exploring unique eating customs and cuisines of your host country makes travel exciting for anyone- foodie or not. But before diving headfirst in Pad Thai when you’re in Thailand or sushi in Japan, pasta in Italy or tacos in Mexico, it’s crucial to exercise caution to prevent food-borne diseases. Be on the lookout for clean restaurants, not just the outside. Check tables, utensils, restrooms, floors, and staff hygiene. Opt for cooked meals instead of raw or warm meals, and always manage proper personal hygiene
