I'm a former FDA food safety officer, these are the items I'd NEVER order at a restaurant - plus other 'red flags' you must watch out for

Article By EMILY JOSHU HEALTH REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published February 29, 2024
Article Source: I'm a former FDA food safety officer, these are the items I'd NEVER order at a restaurant - plus other 'red flags' you must watch out for | Daily Mail Online

Next time you're eating out, be mindful of how the staff scoop ice into your glass - their technique could be exposing you to thousands of germs that cause food poisoning. 

And if you're ordering fish, there is a certain day of the week that massively increases the risk of a stomach bug.

These are the recommendations Dr Darin Detwiler, a former FDA and USDA food safety advisor, is sharing with DailyMail.com readers as the number of food poisoning outbreaks continues to grow.

He warned office workers against eating from buffet bars in places like Whole Foods - saying it was something he 'would never ever, ever, ever' do because of how prone they are to breeding germs.

And bad news for takeout lovers - your food arriving cold isn't just an inconvenience, but it could make you sick.

Dr Detwiler said that while the hygiene rating posted in the front can be good indicator, there are much more subtle red flags Americans should be aware of. 

Around 48million people in the US suffer foodborne illness every year. Some 128,000 end up in the hospital, while 3,000 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Examples of bacterial, parasitic and viral infections caused by food include salmonella, toxoplasma, listeria, and norovirus - as well as E.coli.

The most common is norovirus, which affects one in 15 people every year and is surging across the northeastern US.

At the end of a long day at work, it's easy to order food from a delivery app instead of cooking - and you don't need to make the effort of going out to a restaurant

Though it's convenient, Dr Detwiler said it could increase the risk of foodborne illness. 

'I would not order food through a third-party delivery to be delivered to the home,' he said.

'It's going to take longer to get there, and it's probably not going to be kept at the right temperature.'

The longer food waits to be picked up or delivered to you, the less time it spends at the correct temperature, which leaves it vulnerable to bacteria like salmonella and E. coli. 

The FDA warns that if food drops to between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit (5 to 57 degrees Celsius), bacteria can grow rapidly, potentially doubling every 20 minutes. 

This can be the most risky for raw foods like sushi and certain types of shellfish, though Dr Detwiler steers clear of all takeout. 

Never order oysters, hollandaise (or fish on Mondays)

It's a cliché at this point, but Dr Detwiler said that for good reason, you probably shouldn't get oysters next time you're at a restaurant.

'There are many times where oysters are harvested in waters that have high levels of contamination,' he said. 

Dr Detwiler noted that when oysters are distributed across the country, they come with a tag on them that says where they were harvested. 

'You're supposed to hold on to this tag in cause there is an outbreak, and many restaurants don't hold on to that kind of thing,' he said.

'There are restaurants that will literally serve an oyster platter that has, say, eight different oysters. That sounds like a great experience, but the fact is, it's like Russian Roulette.'

Dr Detwiler also said that oysters have an inherent risk being served raw, and it's difficult to clean the shells properly. 'It is a more risky food that's out there,' he said. 

One of the main concerns with oysters is contamination from vibrio bacteria, which live in bodies of water near the coasts. WebMD estimates that roughly 80 percent of infections happen between May and October, when water is warmer. 

According to the CDC, at least 52,000 Americans each year are sickened with vibriosis after eating contaminated foods. 

Symptoms include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, fast heart rate, confusion, dizziness, fainting, and weakness. 

Additionally, if you're going to order fish, don't do it on a Monday. This is because many fish markets are not open on the weekends, leaving the restaurant's picks to linger in the fridge or freezer for a couple days.

'Fish that is not fresh may undergo chemical changes, leading to spoilage that affects its taste, smell, and safety,' Dr Detwiler said. 

He noted that spoiled fish may also contain high levels of histamine, a chemical released by the immune system. 

When too much is released, it can lead to the foodborne illness scombroid poisoning, which allergy-like reactions like rash, diarrhea, sweating, headache, and vomiting.

And consider skipping the Eggs Benedict when you're out to brunch. That's because it contains hollandaise sauce, which could be subject to contamination.

'Salmonella is the primary pathogen of concern with hollandaise sauce due to the use of raw or undercooked eggs,' Dr Detwiler said. 

Salmonella bacteria are passed from feces of people or animals, and symptoms of an infection usually begin between six hours and six days after exposure. 

They typically resolve within another four to seven days without requiring medical intervention.

Dr Detwiler noted that symptoms of a salmonella infection can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. 

However, some people have no symptoms. 

Salmonella infects more than 1.3 million people every year, leading to 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths annually. 

Don't stop at the salad bar or buffet

Salad in particular has been the subject of dozens of recalls, namely listeria contamination

If you're stopping by Whole Foods or Wegmans for lunch, it's easy to opt for the salad bar or hot buffet.

However, Dr Detwiler steers clear. 'I would never ever, ever, ever go to a buffet or eat from a salad bars,' he said. 

This is because salad bars and buffets are a 'major opportunity' for contamination, as potentially dozens of hands come into contact with the food every day. Additionally, saliva can spray on the food and pass bacteria.

Additionally, Dr Detwiler noted that several of the foods included in these spreads need to be kept at distinct temperatures to ward off bacteria, but it's difficult to do that if they are all in the same buffet. 

Salad in particular has been the subject of dozens of recalls, namely listeria contamination. 

Symptoms of listeria infection typically include those that are similar to flu – chills, fever, achiness, nausea and vomiting. 

In high-risk populations such as pregnant women, it can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, and newborn baby death. 

In a similar vein, Dr Detwiler avoids estaurants where you pick your own ingredients and then give them to the chef to cook, as it increases the risk of contamination.

If you are eating out... check out the restroom first

A 2018 Harris Poll found that two-thirds of American customers would avoid a restaurant if reviews mentioned restroom odors

When you get to a restaurant, the first thing you probably do is start perusing the menu or order a drink.

However, Dr Detwiler heads off to the bathroom first. 'Not for the reason you think,' he said. 

'If they're serious about sanitation, that's a place that will show you the restaurant is clean.'

Dr Detwiler looks for tell-tale signs of a neglected restroom like dirty toilets, lack of paper towels, and grimy countertops. 

A 2018 Harris Poll found that two-thirds of American customers would avoid a restaurant if reviews mentioned restroom odors, and 63 percent said they would steer clear if they knew clogged toilets were a common occurance. 

'I have literally walked out of restaurants, even if I was hungry and wanted to eat there, because their bathroom was so disgusting,' Dr Detwiler said.

'I don't even want to know what's going on in the kitchen.' 

Keep eyes on the bartender

According to the New York State Health Department, 'ice for consumption shall be dispensed with scoops, tongs, or other utensils, or automatic self-service ice-dispensing equipment

It's clear that you should always pay attention to what the bartender is putting in your drink.

However, Dr Detwiler focuses more on how the drink is assembled. 

'I'm not a fan of going to a bar where I see the bartender is using the glass to scoop the ice,' he said. 'That's a big no-no.'

One issue is that if the glass hasn't been washed, it could spread bacteria like E, coli and salmonella to the clean ice. 

However, Dr Detwiler's main concern is the risk of glass breaking and blending in with the ice.  

'How easy is it to tell the difference between broken glass and ice? It kind of looks the same, right?' he said.

According to the New York State Health Department, 'ice for consumption shall be dispensed with scoops, tongs, or other utensils, or automatic self-service ice-dispensing equipment.'  

Avoid cantaloupe and other cut fruits 

'Cantaloupes are practically impossible to clean, and quite honestly, it's like a sleeper killer,' Dr Detwiler said

Dr Detwiler warned that if you're after-dinner go-to is fruit, make sure there's no cantaloupe on your plate. 

'Cantaloupe should be eaten as soon as it is cut open. Never eat pre-cut or halved cantaloupe,' he said. 

This is because the fruit could be exposed to pathogens from soil, animals, or water, as they are grown close to the ground. 

The outside of the cantaloupe has a netted surface that microbes can cling to. 

'Cantaloupes are practically impossible to clean, and quite honestly, it's like a sleeper killer,' Dr Detwiler said. 

'No one ever thinks cantaloupes, and yet the single food that is responsible for the most deaths is cantaloupe.'

Cantaloupe was also linked to a salmonella outbreak spanning 44 states, which ended in January. The CDC states that the contaminated foods sickened 407 Americans, hospitalized 158, and killed six.