Cocina Verify Offers Tips for Travelers on Avoiding Getting Sick in Latin America

TUCSON, Ariz., April 24, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Many travelers to Latin America may assume that their prospective tour operator has first-hand knowledge and verification of the standards present in the restaurants and hotels to which they will be captively taken. This is often not the case. In many developing countries, governments lack the resources and/or authority to adequately enforce health standards. At many destinations, tour operators don't know if the restaurants or hotels have vital safety infrastructure such as a hand-washing sink or soap in the kitchen. Travelers should ask tour operators about their knowledge of food safety standards in the restaurants and hotels to which they will be taken, prior to booking.

Exposing serious food safety gaps in the international tour industry was never Allan Daly's goal. It wasn't until his company, Cocina Verify®, planned to run culinary tours to their certified restaurants in Latin America, that the dearth of food and water safety standards came to light.

I considered it a no-brainer that tour operators would be taking their customers to restaurants and hotels that they either had proof of the facilities meeting high standards or that the tour operators themselves verified the standards in the kitchens, because some of these countries aren't able to inspect even 1% of their restaurants and hotels in a given year.

Allan Daly, CEO/Founder Cocina Verify

Cocina Verify didn't have enough certified restaurants in a close proximity for a full week's tour, so they needed to augment with other restaurants that they knew met leading food safety standards. Daly recounts, "I considered it a no-brainer that tour operators would be taking their customers to restaurants and hotels that they either had proof of the facilities meeting high standards or that the tour operators themselves verified the standards in the kitchens, because some of these countries aren't able to inspect even 1% of their restaurants and hotels in a given year." After inspecting many highly rated and starred food service facilities, Daly's team has since learned that relying on star ratings, online traveler reviews, or a local's recommendation are of little value when trying to determine one's risk for contracting a foodborne illness at a restaurant or hotel.

After extensive discussions with government officials, restaurant & hotel owners, and local ground operators in Latin America, Daly's team concluded that tour operators do not generally inspect restaurants and may not even know if the restaurants have vitally important safety infrastructure such as hand washing sinks or the ability to sanitize dishes.

Foodborne illness is dangerous and getting more dangerous with increased antibiotic resistance. Obviously tour operators can't guarantee the safety of their guests, but knowing whether the restaurants and hotels meet leading food safety standards may go a long way to preventing foodborne illness, especially when the CDC states that 30-70% of travelers may experience Traveler's Diarrhea in certain areas (1).

Daly has come to the unfortunate conclusion that travelers have few, if any, food safety advocates when traveling in countries that don't have strong governmental food safety enforcement. If governments and tour operators aren't adequately inspecting, and online review sites, printed travel guides, top restaurant lists, and international star programs don't incorporate food safety into their listing criteria, then travelers to Latin America are often left high and dry when it comes to knowing if a restaurant or hotel is following any type of food safety standards.

Daly recommends that people, who are considering taking an international tour, ask prospective tour operators three important questions:

1. Is the company taking groups to restaurants and hotels whose kitchens are regularly inspected by trained food safety personnel, not the bus driver?

2. If yes, travelers should request a copy of the latest inspection report or certification for the kitchens.

3. What verifiable steps are being taken to reduce the risk of food and waterborne illnesses from occurring on your tours?

In their efforts to make traveling to Latin America safer for the public, if you got sick on a trip to Latin America, Cocina Verify would like to hear your story. Please email your story to [email protected].

Cocina Verify is a third-party, monthly restaurant training and inspection program, based in Tucson, Arizona, which helps international restaurants and hotels implement U.S. food safety training and standards, so that travel suppliers can choose hotels and restaurants that provide a high level of accountability, trust and confidence for their customers. Allan Daly created the company after contracting foodborne illness on several trips to Latin America in 2015. For more information, visit www.cocinaverify.com. @cocinaverif

(1) https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2018/the-pre-travel-consultation/travelers-diarrhea

Source: Cocina Verify®