Avoid These Airplane Foods, According To Food Safety Experts

A record-breaking 112.5 million Americans are expected to travel to visit friends and family this holiday season. If you're one of the nearly 7 million flying to your destination this week, you may want to avoid some foods that are served in the air, especially if you're prone to illness, food safety experts say.

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While on-board meals are held to strict safety standards, the risk of bacteria can be greater in the air due to the lag time between when the food is prepared and when it's served, according to airline food safety expert Jean Dible.

To play it safe, here are six types of foods she and other experts suggest you avoid when you're dining above the clouds.

Dairy

Food safety pros recommend avoiding dairy products like yogurt, cottage cheese and ice cream on planes because they are particularly susceptible to spoilage when not kept cold.

Deli meats

Because your favorite sandwich meats are usually ready-to-eat, they don't go through a re-heating process to kill any bacteria, says Aurora Saulo, a professor of food safety and an extension specialist in food technology at the University of Hawaii. That's why sliced turkey, bologna and the like pose a higher risk of listeria contamination, according to the FDA.

Ice

Bacteria can survive in ice cubes, research shows. What makes ice on airplanes problematic, according to food safety experts, is a lack of rigorous food safety training among flight attendants. That means they may not always properly wash hands or use gloves when they're scooping the ice and pouring your drinks.

Raw fruits and vegetables

Think twice before you reach for that salad: Raw fruits and veggies, like deli meats, are usually consumed without further heating to protect you from any potential contamination.

Melons and leafy greens like lettuce pose a more substantial risk, since both are exposed to many kinds of bacteria from the soil, water and composted manure while they're growing in the fields. And if there's bacteria on the outside of a cantaloupe, for example, Dible says, cutting it up will transfer the bacteria to the inside, edible part, even if someone in the kitchen washes the fruit first.

Fruits and vegetables can also be contaminated while being stored and transported, Dible says, and, with melon in particular, bacteria could double every 20 minutes if the fruit is held at the wrong temperature.

Sprouts can be risky because they need warm, humid conditions to grow — and those are the same conditions favored by bacteria, she adds. Raw and lightly cooked sprouts like alfalfa and pea varieties have been linked to several Salmonella, E. coli, and listeria outbreaks.

Rice

Uncooked rice commonly contains Bacillus cereus bacteria, which can survive cooking temperatures. If the rice is then cooled down or stored at the wrong temperature, the Bacillus spores can start to grow, and "the Bacillus bacteria toxin will make a person very sick for several days," Dible says.

In fact, experts say, to make sure rice is safe to eat, you need to reheat it to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The only way to check is by using a cooking thermometer, and that's not standard equipment for flight attendants.

Seafood

Shrimp, one of the most common types of seafood served on planes, can play host to a variety of food pathogens, Dible says. For example, a 2015 comprehensive study by Consumer Reports found that 60 percent of frozen shrimp tested contained the bacteria Salmonella, Vibrio vulnificus, listeria or E. coli, and 2 percent were positive for the super-bug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Safer alternatives

Opt for soups and stews, including curries, because they're usually heated multiple times at temperatures that likely kill bacteria, and bread, rolls, crackers, packaged bakery items and the free packs of pretzels are all usually a good bet.

If you do want some fruits or veggies, look for something with a peel that you can remove, like an orange or a banana, or something in a can or a sealed container.

Bottles of water and cans of soda are generally safe, she says, as are, despite what you may have read, coffee and tea, because hot water kills most of the bacteria.

You play a role in keeping your food safe, too, so it's important to wash your hands and make sure you're practicing good hygiene. "Food safety is really a shared responsibility."

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6 airplane foods you should avoid, according to food safety experts | CNBC Make It.