Food and beverage safety is something that most don’t think much about but it plays an important role in doing away with preventable diseases.

Food is an integral part of our daily lives and for some, eating out is a daily occurrence. Let’s face it, eating out is convenient and there’s no pesky washing up to do afterwards. However, eating out has its perils as well.

Along with not fully knowing what goes into your food, how safe do you think your food is? The outbreak of typhoid fever stemming from a myriad of sources such as untreated water, unvaccinated food workers, poor sanitation and more is more common than one thinks. Foodborne illnesses or food poisoning are caused by germs such as Listeria, Norovirus, E.coli, Campylobacter and Salmonella.

Symptoms of food poisoning include nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain and headache. Complications from food poisoning range from mild discomfort to dehydration which may require hospitalisation.

Here’re some tips to make sure your next foodie trip doesn’t end up with you on a toilet bowl.

• For meat dishes, ensure that it is cooked all the way through especially meats such as pork and chicken
• Drink hot beverages such as hot coffee or tea
• Buy fresh fruits and vegetables, bring them home and wash and/or peel them yourself before consumption
• Bottled water, juices and pasteurised milk is safer to drink
• Eat hard boiled eggs
• For soupy dishes, ensure that it is served hot and thoroughly cooked

Best To Avoid

• Raw dishes such as ceviche or sashimi
• Soft boiled eggs
• Undercooked or raw meat steaks such as beef tartare
• Exotic meats such as monkeys or bats
• Drinks with ice cubes made with tap water
• Cut fruit from street vendors
• Sandwiches, rolls, anything that contains perishables (food that decays quickly such as vegetables and fruits) that aren’t refrigerated
• Seafood especially if you’re far from a fresh source