BBC News | HEALTH | Food poisoning 'hits home and abroad'

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Saturday, 17 November, 2001, 12:27 GMT

Food poisoning 'hits home and abroad'

UK tourists like to eat pasta on holiday

British holidaymakers are almost as badly hit by food poisoning in the UK as they are when staying in Europe, a survey has found.

While 15% of British tourists had stomach bugs while on holiday in Europe, 10% suffered food poisoning contracted while holidaying in the UK, the study showed.

People in northern England suffered the worst from food eaten in the UK, while Londoners were hardest-hit by upset stomachs in Europe, the survey by the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph found.

A bout of food poisoning can turn a longed-for break into a miserable experience
Graham Boynton
Telegraph travel editor

During worldwide travel about 46% of Londoners suffered food poisoning and at least one in three people from each region of Britain has also succumbed to the problem.

The survey said Spain topped the table for cuisine casualties, with paella and tapas eating causing stomach problems.

Tourists from northern England suffered the least from food poisoning on holiday trips worldwide, while those from Scotland and the East Midlands suffered the least on trips confined to Europe.

The highest number of British travellers suffering food poisoning in the UK (13%) came from northern England.

Miserable experience

Only 7% (the lowest figure) of people from Yorkshire and Humberside had succumbed to food eaten in their own country.

Graham Boynton, travel editor of The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph, said: "A bout of food poisoning can turn a longed-for break into a miserable experience."

Other findings included:

Four in 10 Britons have suffered food poisoning while on holiday abroad, with Londoners (46%) afflicted the most.

Almost one in five (19%) consider that London offers the worst food of all UK destinations.

People from Yorkshire and Humberside have the lowest opinion of London cuisine.

Eight in 10 Britons say that the food they eat is central to their enjoyment of a holiday.

14% believe that France offers holidaymakers the best food in the world, with Paris the country's best culinary spot.

Pasta and pizza are the most popular foreign foods, with 5% of respondents voting Italy the best country for food.

The least concerned about what they eat abroad are the Welsh, while Londoners are the biggest fans of French food.

People from northern England are least enamoured of French culinary delights, while those from the West Midlands are least keen on Italian food.

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