I’m traveling to China later this year. It will be my first time in Asia, and I’m pretty psyched about it.

I’m always a little nervous when traveling somewhere new, and places that have vastly different cultures, languages, foods, ect. from mine make my stomach butterfly a little more than usual.

But they’re also some of the most exciting places to travel to.

So in order to make the most of my China trip I’ve been doing some research online, reading some books, and trying to learn a little bit of Chinese… and then I had a thought – why not blog about it? So that’s what I’m doing.

First up for most travelers is safety concerns

In this post I’ll be discussing what I’ve found about food safety concerns in China, and how to avoid getting sick.

Everything I’ve read points to pollution and corruption being a big issue in China, and both affect the food there.

Pollution in the water adds to the wide-spread issue of food poisoning from prepared foods (when not cooked properly) – which, as a foreigner, will likely account for most of the food you eat.

Corruption may account for food poisoning as well, with big food companies cutting corners and allowing food to be distributed in sub-par condition in favor of earning more money and keep costs down.

6 Tips for Finding Safe Food in China

1. Avoid buffets where food has been sitting out for a long time
2. Avoid food that isn’t fully cooked
3. Street food – though some see it as a concern – can be great because you often see the owner making the food quickly from start to finish, so there’s no question of freshness.
4. Wash fruits and veggies in purified (boiled) water before eating
5. If a restaurant is busy it’s a good sign that it has a good reputation
6. Fresh and cooked are the 2 most important things to look out for

My personal tip: I have traveled to Egypt where there are similar concerns about getting sick. Eating the street food there was always fine and delicious, BUT one thing that I have to say probably saved me from getting sick was hand sanitizer. I used it regularly and at one point everyone else in my group got sick. Something to consider when traveling to places where cleanliness is a concern.

As I said I haven’t been to China yet, so if there’s something I’ve missed or something that is inaccurate please comment!

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 Thanks for reading!