by: Aaron Beczkiewicz

Having spent a good portion of  my master’s program interviewing individuals about their foodborne illnesses following international travel, it goes without saying that I tend to be a little paranoid about what I eat when I travel. As a result, I was fairly strict about self-imposed diet restrictions (i.e., no fresh produce, pre-packaged beverages only, no iced drinks, etc.) over the course of a 2-week trip to Ethiopia last summer. During my return trip, the first several items on my to-do list involved satisfying habits I had gone without the entire trip. Since I LOVE cold beverages and typically go through 2 trays of ice a day, I made a point of getting a drink with ice during one of my layovers (…unfortunately, no direct flights from Columbus to Addis Ababa). As I was enjoying an iced tea at the London Heathrow Airport, I started pondering whether I would consider it a potential food safety risk.