World Food Safety Day 2023: Tips On How To Keep Your Food Safe While Travelling

On World Food Safety Day, it is imperative to note the importance of keeping our food safe, even when travelling. It’s crucial to prioritize food safety when on a road trip, when exploring new destinations, or simply taking a vacation.

Choose popular eateries, opt for cooked and hot food, avoid consuming raw or undercooked items, and ensure proper storage of perishable snacks. By adopting these practices, we can safeguard our health and make our travels a delightful and worry-free culinary experience.

Dr Edwina Raj, Senior Dietician, Aster CMI Hospital, says, “Nausea, motion sickness, vomiting, and diarrhoea are some of the most common symptoms observed among travellers. These illnesses usually subside in two to three days’ time and often travellers are susceptible to food infections. However, at times medical attention is needed.”

Your food intake is crucial to prevent any adverse impact on your health.  Listing below some of the key precautions:

1. Observe hygiene protocols
   Follow hygienic practices like frequent hand wash and carry hand sanitizer (should not replace hand washing practices).
2. Go for piping hot foods
   “Food cooked at high heat is usually safe to eat. High heat kills most of the germs that causes travellers’ diarrhoea. Be cautious of food that is cooked and kept warm at room temperature. Same rule applies to hot beverages like tea and coffee too. Keep food warm by wrapping them in a foil or insulated containers. Homemade sandwiches work great,” says Rizwana Sayed, Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator, Apollo Clinic, Pune.
3. Raw food can be risky
   Avoid cut up fresh fruits and vegetables. “Prefer fruits that can only be eaten when peeled such as bananas, citrus fruits, etc,” adds Sayed.
4. Dry food products
    “Choose cereals, and dry food products that have good shelf-life. Food items like chapati, breads and dry snacks like puffed rice/chidwa and papad are recommended,” adds Dr Raj.
5. No to uncooked foods
   Avoid consuming uncooked or half cooked foods such as raw salads, chutney, street chaats, dairy products, seafood, undercooked eggs / meat.
6. A big no to cold food
   “Avoid consuming cooked food that is cold, as it’s shelf-life is not more than 24 hours and the chances of such food getting spoiled are high and so are the chances of causing food–related illnesses,” states Dr Raj.
7. Stick to bottled water
   Avoid drinking water from taps in public places.
8. Avoid expired products
   If you are carrying packaged foods, double-check on the expiry date
9. Depending on your travel destination, it is advisable to check your vaccination status with your Physician before your travel.