As so many of our native geese did months ago, thousands of Canadians will flock south to escape winter in March, many to all-inclusive resorts where food and drinks flow freely.
This year, many fleeing for spring break will likely do so with thoughts of April Gougeon and her son Oliver in their mind, a 41-year-old Toronto mother and the eight-year-old boy died in December 2023 after contracting an undisclosed type of food poisoning within hours of arriving and dining at an all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic, as reported by the National Post.
The family has since filed a $10 million civil suit against the resort and its travel company partners, alleging negligence in food preparation and handling, among other allegations.
Without presenting specific evidence, they include claims of improper temperature control, storage, and hygiene practices, leading to cross-contamination, the use of expired ingredients and undercooked food.
The suit also alleges contamination by chemicals, pests, and allergens, a failure to label food items correctly, inadequate staff training and not addressing issues found in health inspections or after a food-borne illness outbreak.
In an email to the National Post, Toronto Metropolitan University microbiologist Dr. Joseph McPhee said “common principles in food preparation and handling are consistent” with the allegations.
Even without knowing “what infection agent” caused the family to be unwell, the fact all four of them were within nine hours suggests to him it may have been a case of “food-borne intoxication, where there are toxin-producing bacteria in the food.”
He said it’s those toxins that result in food poisoning symptoms, not the bacteria, and pointed to the 2013 incident at the Canadian National Exhibition wherein more than 150 people got sick after eating cronut burgers contaminated by staphylococcus aureus toxin.
Fatalities related to food-borne illnesses are exceedingly rare around the world, even in cases where large groups of people are impacted, like in the above example or those sickened from products later recalled by a health agency or manufacturer.
McPhee said it’s because the infections are self-limiting: you’ll still suffer as you make repeated trips to the washroom, but it won’t “usually proceed to systemic disease or to more severe complications” as would a slower-moving bacterial infection.
Dominican Republic scores low on food safety
While stories of travellers getting food poisoning anywhere in the world aren’t uncommon, the Dominican has had a reputation for questionable food safety in the past.
In 2023, Forbes U.K. scoured roughly 2.4 million posts on travel forums — searching for terms like food poisoning, e-coli, salmonella and gastroenteritis — and resort-rich Punta Cana landed atop its Advisor Travel Bug Index with more than 13,000 posts about sickness.
“Tourists are drawn by its white sandy beaches, tropical vibe and buzzing nightlife,” the outlet wrote, “yet almost 10% (9.61%) of those who use travel forums complain of holiday-related sickness.”
At Iwaspoisoned.com, an anonymous site where users submit accounts of suspected and confirmed food poisoning from around the world, a search for the Dominican Republic yields a lengthy list of incidents.
Health Canada and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) note that, by and large, food and beverage hygiene at Dominican Republic resorts has improved in recent years, but the risk of falling ill from exposure to bacteria, germs or other microorganisms remains.
Both agencies list traveller’s diarrhea, typhoid fever and cholera as illnesses and diseases to be wary of, but Canada includes salmonellosis, a common form of food poisoning.
Often abrupt and occurring within hours of consuming tainted fare, food poisoning symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, general malaise, and sometimes fever.
Left untreated, it can lead to a host of complications, some of which can prove fatal.
“In the most severe cases of diarrhea and vomiting, the fluid loss can lead to electrolyte imbalance and, in the absence of fluid restoration, it is very dangerous,” McPhee said.
‘Boil it, cook it, peel it or leave it’
Foods commonly linked to sickness include eggs, creams, mayonnaise, seafood, fruits, vegetables and undercooked or improperly reheated meats.
In general, Health Canada offers its go-to food safety advice for travellers bound for destinations where risk exists: “Boil it, cook it, peel it or leave it!”
It says to only eat well-cooked food, served hot, and to avoid anything served at room temperature.
When “selecting food from a buffet or salad bar, make sure the hot food is steaming and the cold food is chilled,” the CDC warns.
“Typically, in food prep, you want to avoid having food kept at temperatures between 4 C and 60 C,” McPhee said, “and temperatures should be monitored to make sure they are held above or below these temperatures.”
It’s also best to steer clear of salads, raw or undercooked meats and fish, including shellfish, and the CDC forewarns for dishes like ceviche or others cooked with acidic liquids.
As for fruits and vegetables, they’re safest if you can peel them yourself or wash them in bottled or disinfected water before eating.
“Avoid those with damaged skin because toxic chemicals can be formed in damaged and mouldy foods,” counsels the World Health Organization. “Green-leafed vegetables (e.g. green salads) can contain dangerous microorganisms which are difficult to remove.”
In terms of water, all three recommend choosing a commercially sealed bottled option, if available, before anything from the faucet, even when it comes to teeth brushing.
In cases without bottled or purified water, it should be heated to a roiling boil for at least a minute before use.
Ice cubes are less of a concern in “well-established tourist locations” because it’s usually made using purified or disinfected water.
CDC also says to skip room temperature coffee and tea, freshly squeezed juice, fountain drinks and unpasteurized dairy and juices.
“Canadians, and anyone else travelling for winter break, should be vigilant in monitoring for food safety including asking the specific resort about their food handling practices, ” McPhee suggested, “and then monitoring for signs of illness and seeking medical care immediately if they feel it is required.”
Along with the food and drink guidance, while you can’t force resort staff to wash their hands before preparing your food, you can and should wash your own before eating. Hand sanitizer will do the trick if soap and water are not available.
In addition to the above recommendations, McPhee suggested vaccines for traveller’s diarrhea can offer a modicum of protection from food- and water-borne disease.
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