My husband and I are headed to Belize next month and I am pregnant. Is Belizean food pretty safe? I recall being sick for a month straight when eating street food in Guatemala, with a similar experience in Peru. I know that I should avoid foods that have been sitting outside for long periods of time, but any other advice? We are usually super buget backpackers, and haven't ever really worried about being sick in the past, but I realize I need to be a little more careful this time.
Thanks!
I think you'll find food in Belize, even street food, quite safe. Traveling in Belize over the last 20 years I've eaten from street stalls in nearly all areas and at all kinds of restaurants and don't think I've ever been sick. Family members have had an occasional mild stomach upset, but nothing serious. Standards of hygiene in Belize are pretty high.
Ice and water are also okay in most places, though many people prefer bottled water for the taste. I don't hesitate to eat salads and fresh fruit and vegetables in Belize.
Of course, there are always going to be a few exceptions of dirty kitchens or food not properly stored -- so just use common sense.
--Lan Sluder
In general, the food is safe, and the tap water in most cities and towns is potable (I live here). Outside cities & towns, you might want to check in case the water is from a well or rain-water tank.
However, I wouldn't rate the hygiene standards very high, especially if you're eating "low budget". Standards are probably very high in the bigger hotels and higher priced restaurants, but for the rest, standards are probably worse than your own kitchen.
HACCP has been introduced in Belize (within the past few of years, and I know a kitchen worker who has attended a course) but not all establishments follow it.
In speaking with a local doctor last year, he said that intestinal bugs & parasites are common in Belize (from untreated water, raw/unwashed fruits & vegetables, poor food handling techniques especially with chicken & pork). Some of the parasites do not present symptoms and the only thing to do, to be sure, is have a stool sample analyzed.
The health department often inspects kitchens. They did one last week after a customer found rat droppings in a loaf of bread.
I often eat "low budget" and have only had "food poisoning" in Australia! Even survived the old lady in Mexico making my garnaches with her bare hands.
Sounds like you know some common sense, so you should be fine.
Edited by: misterbee
Maybe you should stay in places where you can cook for yourself. Unfortunately like in Guatemala, there are not hostels that have common kitchens. In Caye Culker I found one place though. (Check my other posts.) In Hopkins cabins usually have a kitchenette.
Like Lan said - pretty safe.
My father was concerned about this when he visited because normally he has trouble with stomach issues when traveling anywhere. He was surprised his system was better than ever in Belize.
Being pregnant - I'm guessing you would want to avoid the spicy stuff - ask for "no pepper" to avoid the mighty Habanero.
Rice'n'Beans!
Rat Feces Baked In Bread
An example of the hygeine in Belize...
http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=21560
I wonder how many incidents don't make the nightly news?
We did not drink tap water, but many hotels have a big bottle of filtered water available, so we filled our water bottles from that. We did drink the delicious lime juice, maybe not the smartest idea, but it turned out ok. When necessary we bought bottled water. We also stayed away from lettuce and any unpeeled fruit, of course. And were fine. There's a thin line between "street food" and "beach restaurants," but we didn't have any problems. We were a little more careful in Guatemala, and we were only there 3 night, but had no problem there either.