{"id":547,"date":"2002-11-27T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2002-11-27T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/2002\/11\/27\/food-safetyby-jason-gibbs-pharmacist-at-nomad-medical-centres\/"},"modified":"2023-12-10T11:34:33","modified_gmt":"2023-12-10T11:34:33","slug":"food-safetyby-jason-gibbs-pharmacist-at-nomad-medical-centres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/food-safetyby-jason-gibbs-pharmacist-at-nomad-medical-centres.html","title":{"rendered":"Food Safety\nby Jason Gibbs, Pharmacist at Nomad Medical Centres"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most enjoyable reasons for travelling to exotic and distant
\nplaces is to sample the delights of the local cuisine. Two of my favourites
\nhave been ‘Rat on a Stick’ and ‘Mashed Frog’ only one
\nof which I sampled for reasons that will become clear. Good hygiene practices
\nare always heavily promoted to the travelling public with some extreme
\nrecommendations such as cleaning all cutlery with alcohol swabs that rarely
\nmake a difference to your chances of contracting a food\/waterborne illness. In
\nfact a couple were reported in a scientific paper, who during a round the world
\ntrip practiced extreme methods of hygiene yet still contracted ‘One life
\nthreatening case of giardiasis, two episodes of diarrhoea and loose stools that
\npersisted for 30 months after returning to Britain’. So whilst good
\nhygiene is always highly recommended is it in fact the type of food that you
\neat that will cause more problems. Again there is little evidence to support
\nthis with one or two extreme exceptions such as raw oysters or very rare
\nmeat.<\/p>\n

There are also a few other foods that have a high chance of contamination
\nsuch as salads, especially broad-leafed vegetables such as lettuce. This is not
\nunconnected to the use of ‘night soil’, which is a rather polite
\neuphemism for human excrement, as fertiliser in some regions. Sauces,
\nespecially when served cold are a prime source of infection as these are often
\ndays old, stored in the kitchen where flies and other insects can quite happily
\nfeed on them before they arrive on the side of your plate.<\/p>\n

The preparation of your food is the most important factor in its safety. If
\nit is freshly prepared using good hygiene precautions with fresh ingredients,
\nis served piping hot and not reheated you can enjoy your meal in relative
\nsafety, even contaminated lettuce when scrubbed and then washed in a weak
\nsolution of chlorine or iodine will then be safe to eat.<\/p>\n

There is an old adage that will serve you well if applied at all times:
\n‘Peel it, cook it, boil it or forget it.’<\/b><\/p>\n

Here are a few extra tips that may help you remain healthy whilst away:<\/p>\n