Food safety and holiday sickness claims

Food safety on holiday is vitally important to prevent food poisoning and other types of Holiday illness claims which occur far too often in package tour hotels.

Holiday sickness claims for compensation are at an all time high, and food handlers at holiday resorts in Mexico, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Spain, The Maldives, Cuba and the Dominican Republic must practise safe methods of food handling, storing and cooking to prevent outbreaks of illness.

Hands, utensils and work surfaces should be washed thoroughly with hot, soapy water before and after food preparation and always between being used to prepare different foods, to prevent cross contamination. Using hot water with bleach and detergent can provide added protection plus using antibacterial soap on hands.

Raw meat, poultry and eggs must always be kept away from ready to eat foods, as must raw seafood. This will prevent cross contamination, which can easily cause food poisoning and symptoms of vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps when affected food is ingested. Food should always be cooked to its correct internal temperature and checked with a thermometer. Eggs should be cooked until the yolk and the white are firm and cooked foods and leftovers must be refrigerated within two hours, making sure the fridge is set no higher than 40ºF.

Fridges in hotel kitchens must be of an adequate size to be able to store all foods and allow cold air to circulate freely around them. Cold foods must be stored in a chilled cabinet before serving and never left out in the open where flies and other insects can contaminate them. If you are staying at a holiday hotel and planning to enjoy a picnic on the beach, make sure all foods are chilled when you receive them and keep them in a cool bag or box, with ice packs until you ready to eat.

Barbecued meat at your holiday hotel should never be cooked until the charcoals are glowing red with a layer of ash and the food should be moved around the grill and the centre of the meat tested before it is served. Undercooked chicken, burgers and sausages account for many cases of holiday food poisoning. Just because meat looks to be cooked on the outside, it can still be pink or undercooked in the middle. Utensils used to prepare and cook raw meat should never then be used for ready to eat foods and/or salads.

If you suspect the food you are being served may be contaminated, refuse to eat it. Some of the give-away signs of poor hygiene in holiday hotels include: a dirty restaurant, dirty toilets, dirty crockery or cutlery, overflowing bins outside the restaurant, hair or insects in food, raw food displayed next to ready to eat food, food which is not cooked properly or served at the wrong temperatures.

If you suffer holiday illness abroad, contact a no win, no fee personal injury solicitor when you arrive home and claim the compensation you deserve, providing your illness was caused by the negligence of the tour operator. However mild your symptoms are, you should not be exposed to food poisoning on holiday and you can claim compensation if your holiday has been ruined. A no win, no fee solicitor will not charge you a penny to represent you and help you claim the compensation you deserve.

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Adrian vultur writes for Holiday illness claims

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