The holiday that turned into a food safety lesson

EHO Story 📩

You’d think after years of inspecting kitchens and warning people about food poisoning, I’d know exactly how to avoid it myself.

But once, I believe I got caught out.

I was on holiday in Morocco, staying at a beautiful all-inclusive resort. The kind of place where you’re meant to switch off and forget about work.

Almost.

Because the moment I saw the buffet, my EHO brain kicked in.

So I was careful.

✅ I skipped ‘higher-risk’ foods like salads and rice.
✅ I only chose food that looked piping hot and fresh.
✅ I avoided anything that looked like it had been sitting out too long.

And then that night, I became violently ill.

Meanwhile, my partner at the time, who had eaten pretty much everything, was absolutely fine.

At the time, I strongly suspected it was food related, or what most people would describe as food poisoning. (Although, I didn’t have any testing done, so can’t say with 100% certainty!)

However, over the years as an EHO, I have seen buffets cause food poisoning outbreaks if they’re not managed correctly.

Food Safety Tip ✅

Buffets can be risky if food isn’t managed properly behind the scenes.

A few things matter here:

✔️ Temperature control. Hot food should stay above 63°C, cold food below 8°C (ideally below 5°C).
✔️ Topping up trays is a problem. Mixing fresh food with older food can mean some food has been out of temperature for too long.
✔️ Foods like cooked rice need extra careful attention.
✔️ Salads and fruits may look harmless, but if they have been handled poorly or washed in unsafe water, they can still make people ill.

The Serious Lesson

Food poisoning has everything to do with how food is handled before it reaches you.

That’s why every business needs trained staff who understand how to handle food safely.

A fancy resort means nothing if the food safety behind the scenes is falling apart.