What's Safer: Food and Beverage Safety for the International Traveler

Unclean food and water can cause travelers' diarrhea and other diseases. Travelers to developing countries are especially at risk. In otherwise healthy adults, diarrhea is rarely serious or life-threatening, but if can certainly make for an unpleasant trip. Take steps to avoid diarrhea when you travel.

What's Safer

• Pasteurized dairy products like milk

• "Dry" food like bread or crackers

• Water, sodas, or sports drinks that are bottled and sealed (carbonated is safer)

• Hot coffee or tea

• Hard-cooked eggs

• Food that is cooked and served hot

• Meat that is cooked all the way through

• Food from a factory sealed package or container

• Fruit and vegetables you have washed in clean water or peeled

What's Not

• Fountain drinks

• Water or ice made from the tap or a well

• Flavored ice pops

• Unpasteurized dairy products

• Food from street vendors

• Bushmeat (monkeys, bats, or other wild game)

• Food served at room temperature

• Raw or undercooked (rare) meat or fish

• Raw or soft-cooked (runny) eggs

• Unwashed or unpeeled raw fruits and vegetables

• Salads