Want To Avoid Food Poisoning? Skip These Items At Your Hotel's Breakfast Buffet

Food safety experts say "you only need a couple cells" of contaminants "to really cause havoc.”

Most food lovers agree that when you’re on vacation, one of the perks of staying at a hotel is the free continental breakfast or breakfast buffet included with your visit.

On the other hand, one of the biggest setbacks you can have on a vacation is being relegated to the bathroom after you’ve contracted a foodborne illness. And food that’s been sitting out all morning can be at high risk of potential bacteria contamination, so it’s important to know which items are safe to eat — and which you may want to skip.

“There are two main factors I think about … that can increase [the] risk of getting foodborne illness,” explained Dr. Ellen Shumaker, director of outreach for the Safe Plates program at North Carolina State University. “[Those are] temperature control of foods [and] … other guests potentially contaminating utensils or food due to lack of handwashing.”

A lot of the time you can’t taste the difference when food is contaminated, so it’s key to know what to look out for ahead of time.

“There’s a number of different microorganisms [that can contaminate food and] can prove to be pathogenic or produce toxins,” said Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, food scientist and food science consultant. “For example, [with] certain species of E. coli, salmonella or listeria, you only need a couple cells to really cause havoc.”