Talk about a bad bite.
With millions of international visitors to the US for the World Cup, on top of the usual domestic travelers, this summer is a busy time for travel and dining out.
Which means, the risk for food poisoning also increases, as one state has unfortunately been crowned with the highest rates of illness ruining vacations.
Using data from the CDC’s National Outbreak Reporting System, along with public food safety reports, online Canadian gambling site casino.ca identified US states where food poisoning incidents were the most common.
Analyzing 50 years of official outbreak data, social media complaints and traveler survey responses, food-related illness doesn’t discriminate against West or East Coast, North or South — but one state certainly rose above the rest.
Famous for farm-to-table restaurants, breweries galore and a big foodie culture, visitors to Oregon may want to bring more than their appetites.
Claiming the title for food poisoning capital of the US, Oregon reported approximately one food-borne illness or incident for every 63 residents, or more than 67,000 food poisoning-related incidents.
Despite being one of the smaller states, Delaware was the second riskiest state, recording more than 11,500 food poisoning reports, one incident for every 88 residents.
There were also more than 350 social media complaints related to food poisoning, with 5% of travelers saying they had a food-related illness while visiting.
And you may want to rethink that Philly cheesesteak during your next trip, as Pennsylvania finished out the top three with one food poisoning case for every 93 residents.
The Keystone State also had the highest recorded illnesses over the last 50 years of any state, with more than 120,000.
Meanwhile, 3.4% of the 3,000 travelers also experienced food poisoning while visiting.
Rounding out the top five were Colorado and Nevada, with one food poisoning incident for every 98 residents and one food poisoning incident for every 117 residents, respectively.
So where should you go for your next trip with the lowest chances of being bedridden?
Pack a parka and head to Alaska, as the northernmost state ranked last with just one food-borne illness for every 3,234 people — the lowest of any state.
The next safest destinations? Indiana, Utah, Missouri and Ohio.
With a record number of Americans traveling for the holiday weekend — 61.4 million by car alone — the chances of getting food poisoning on vacation are very possible.
Based on the findings, travelers have a 1 in 319 chance of getting sick from consuming food gone bad.
To avoid illness, the CDC recommends properly washing hands before prepping food and eating, avoiding lukewarm food and sticking to dry or packaged foods.
Perishable food should also be kept cold, and meat should be cooked to proper internal temperatures: raw beef, pork or lamb should be cooked to 160 degrees, and chicken to 165.
