Is the Food & Water Gonna Make You Sick in Thailand

Although the economical situation has had a great impact on the dining scene, locals and tourist alike are not about to stop enjoying the vast array of delicious foods available to us all in Thailand. We still venture out to restaurants throughout the kingdom for snacks lunch or dinner, and in many instances, greater numbers of people go out and eat meals prepared in restaurants, canteens, fast food outlets, and by street food vendors than in the past because it is often cheaper to eat outside the home and it is often more convenient.

Unfortunately, in Thailand, as in many countries, the boom in food service establishments is not matched by effective food safety education and controls everywhere. Unhygienic preparation of food provides ample opportunities for contamination, growth, or survival of foodborne pathogens.

Food safety is an increasingly important public health issue. Governments worldwide are intensifying their efforts to improve food safety. These efforts are in response to an increasing number of food safety problems and rising consumer concerns.

Diseases from food and water are the leading cause of illness in travelers to Thailand and we suggest persons follow these tips for safe eating and drinking:

* Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially before eating. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand gel (with at least 60% alcohol).
* Drink only bottled or boiled water, or carbonated (bubbly) drinks in cans or bottles. Avoid tap water, fountain drinks, and shaved ice.
* Do not eat food purchased from street vendors unless you recognize they clean the dishes in a 2 stage + procedure (at least a bowl of soapy water and another bowl for rinsing the dishes and cutlery). This, of course, doesn't guarantee anything as the vendor may use the local bathroom behind a tree and not washing his hands can create contamination that will make you sick and of course they often handle money and then touch the food they prepare for customers.
* Make sure food is fully cooked.
* Avoid dairy products, unless you know they have been pasteurized.

Diseases from food and water often cause vomiting and diarrhea. Make sure to have diarrhea medicine so that you can treat mild cases yourself. The CDC in the United States posts health bulletins and tips regarding Thailand at their website: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationThailand.aspx

I recently read at the Tourismthailand.org website the following non-truthful statement:
"Unfortunately, many foreigners when they first get sick in Thailand automatically blame the local food/drink or ice they had taken before the illness. Usually however, it is our own bodies which have caused the illness – simply meaning we’ve consumed something that our bodies are not used too". This is NOT true and was posted at: http://www.tourismthailand.org/interesting-article/content-308-3.html. Yes, our body consumed something, a  pathogen, a source of contamination, that we are not able to fight off and therefore we get sick as a result. There is certainly no reason to be alarmed or even a reason to stop eating at your favorite restaurant but common sense should be in order and patrons should notice if the restaurant or vendor seems to be using clean procedures when preparing food. Of course you can't see what goes on in a kitchen or be completely aware of how meat was stored or how the food is prepared, so try to use common sense when venturing out for a meal.

Thailand, and Bangkok, in particular, are taking steps to assure that the food and water is very safe for consumers.
The Shangri-la hotel Bangkok was the first hotel in 2006 in Thailand to have an HACCP ((Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System) certification. Staff had to strictly follow the hotel’s food safety management policies and intensive training on HACCP principles. Various steps of daily operation to achieve customer satisfaction also include the understanding of food safety requirements, suitable HACCP plan and development, corrective action where problems occurred, monitoring and recording, verification, review and maintenance. HACCP certification can be quite expensive, reaching in the hundreds of thousands of baht with major changes often required for kitchen areas to meet the requirements of the HACCP program, not to mention the ongoing rigorous training of management and staff (who each will receive certification).

I recently had a conversation with the owner, Mr Schulz, of NIU'S ON SILOM, the first free-standing restaurant (not affiliated with a hotel) in Thailand to request HACCP certification and I asked him "Why would you spend so much money and effort to enact a program that your customers never see"? He replied "There is nothing more important than having systematic procedures to assure food safety for all my customers. After all, I have spent a lot of money to bring to Bangkok, the first and the finest in jazz entertainment and Italian cuisine, in a dramatic, one of a kind setting". He also stated his staff has been working hard to learn and adhere to the guidelines which are the key to a successful
food and safety system consisting of temperature control of food processing, kitchen staff hygiene, food contamination, proper food purchasing procedures and inspections, pest control, theoretical and practical training for kitchen staff while stringent monitoring and recording, verification, review and maintenance will be done in order to keep the certification.

Other aspects of the food industry are also becoming more aware of the great importance in Food Safety, such as,
Duc de Praslin, a retailer of fine Belgium-style chocolates. Their factory is on Sukhumvit Soi 49 with one of their retail shops on the ground floor of the Fenix Tower at Sukhumvitt Soi 31 in Bangkok. They have inplemented HACCP procedures for their factory and retail outlets to achieve excellence in production and customer service.

To sum things up, don't be alarmed about eating out in Bangkok, but, be cautious because not nearly enough of the restaurants in Bangkok meet the stringent standards described above. Eating on the street, well that's a different story, as my personal experiences reflect my opinion that these quick, convenient, tasty, and cheap eateries fill the gap when we seem to be starving but are the eateries that are mostly at risk of getting us sick. Do yourself a favor if you can't stay away from the outside portable style restaurant, do not eat the seafood, especially, squid, mussels, clams, and oysters. These seem to be one of the worst culprits when people get sick eating on the street and don't drink water from a communal cup at the eatery. Bring your own drink, don't use glassware offered to you, drink with a straw from the bottle or can of water or soft drinks. These things should be common sense issues and if you use yours, you will help minimize the risk of getting sick.