Salad Bars

[terri]

I ate lunch at a small deli that has a big salad bar and a hot bar and a separate area where they make sandwiches and wraps. All I took was some spinach, romaine, hard boiled egg, broccoli, carrots, mango, kiwi, melon. I brought my own tomatoes from my garden, my own tuna and my own dressing. Still got sick. Am still having pains in my tummy and have had better days. Is it feasible to think that maybe when they put out the food after placing the croutons in a bowl just picking up spinach or something and putting it in the container could contaminate the entire bunch enough to make me ill? I really would appreciate some input, here as maybe salad bars are really okay and this was just a fluke?

Thanks!

Terri with the troubled tummy

[catfish]

All I can say is that I've never seen a salad bar that didn't have Bacos in the shredded cheese and croutons in the chopped eggs. People use those tongs interchangeably and stuff gets dropped everywhere, so it is very likely that there is some contamination going on there.

[tarnalberry]

I avoid salad bars for the same cross contamination worry.

[celiac3270]

It's a good idea in theory, the idea of a variety of foods, some of which are fine, but, I, too, have witnessed cross-contamination occuring and have seen the cheese in the peaches and the utensils used in various foods.

[terri]

Thanks for the input everyone. You're absolutely right. It's a big risk and I guess that goes for the ones in the grocery store that are so convenient for a quick and easy dinner. This to me is the hardest part of the disease, the risk of cross contaminiation, whether it's in a restaurant's kitchen, your friend's kitchen or even your own child's kitchen. The only place I don't worry is in my kitchen which is gluten free except for one loaf of hubby's bread. Now if I could just get him to like gluten-free bread........

[celiac3270]

It's a big risk and I guess that goes for the ones in the grocery store that are so convenient for a quick and easy dinner. This to me is the hardest part of the disease, the risk of cross contaminiation, whether it's in a restaurant's kitchen, your friend's kitchen or even your own child's kitchen.

It's difficult when you KNOW that things are gluten-free, but you're unsure of cross-contamination issues...........it's also very annoying...

[flagbabyds]

I do agree it is hard with Cross-contamination, I eat at restaruants but not use salad bars because the croutons usaually fall into something

[kejohe]

Remember too that stomach issues don't come only from gluten contamination but also from cross contamination of other sorts as well. Salad bars are notorious for being the cause of Norwalk and other food poisioning diseases. Just because there are so many people using them. I mean really, how many people do you think wash their hands before going up the to the bar to get their food? And what about airborne contaminates form sneezes and coughs?

I really didn't want to gross anyone out here, but the facts are what they are, and I speak from experience in the food service industry. I think it's safer all around to either have the chef make your salad from fresh stock or if you can, get to the restaurant early, right when they open, so you can make your salad before the hordes start slopping the spoons and tongs everywhere.