Buffet Style

January 2cnd is National Buffet Day. By design, buffets are for extravagant eating. They often lead people to overeat. With unlimited amounts of food and a multitude of different dishes to try, it’s certainly tempting to keep re-filling that plate. Research shows that the environment of a meal can influence our eating habits, and all-you-can-eat buffets are amongst the most challenging contexts to navigate when trying to eat healthily. The constant visibility of food presents a strong sensory trigger, which—combined with a noisy, distracting surrounding—can easily induce you to consume larger portion sizes and unhealthier dishes than normal. Buffets are especially not a good idea when you are really hungry, as they tend to engage people in more food than what they can handle. Seldom is it heard after a buffet “I am so glad that I ate reasonable portion sizes.”

The appeal of buffets is clear: Why choose one menu item when you can have it all? But with increased quantity often comes decreased quality. And, in the case of buffets, a potential health risk.

Due to their large quantities of food and serve-yourself setup, buffets can be hotbeds of germs and bacteria that can cause foodborne illness, which affect 1 in 6 Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The zone between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit is what food safety experts call the danger zone because, at those temperatures, bacteria love to grow. When food has been sitting out for an extended period of time at the wrong temperature, it’s more inclined to grow bacteria like salmonella and staphylococcus. There are many well-frequented surfaces that are not cleaned and are breeding grounds for germs. These include serving utensils and plastic trays. Cross contamination is also a serious issue. With various food items in close proximity, it’s not beyond a patron to dribble bits of food into other containers, or swap the tongs from another dish. While that may taste unpleasant, it has the potential to make you very sick if you have a food allergy.

While you have well-meaning efforts when eating from the salad bar, this can be dangerous. it’s not uncommon for the salad bar to contain food that was previously out, placed back into the refrigerator overnight, and then put back out the next day. There’s also no telling how long it was out before it was placed back into the refrigerator. To make matters worse, employees freshening up the salad bar may simply refill the containers without washing them before doing so. Not only is it yucky, but unwashed vegetables are well known sources of food poisoning.

While in theory a buffet may sound like a good idea, there are hidden dangers. On National Buffet Day, Private Home Health Care is raising awareness about these potential issues to keep everyone safe, healthy, and happy.