Confused about food safety - food in pack

[Kathar1na]

I have not seen it presented in packaging even in Lille, we would head off to a cheese shop and the guy would cut if off big blocks/boules, there would be several, all with different ages.I have only seen it once in the UK and that was 3/4 years ago at a deli counter in a Morrisons.

Thank you for sharing, love this. Mimolette had just been a cheese among many for me but now I'm curious and I will try to find a shop where I can get it cut from the boule and hopefully it will be old and taste of hazelnut. I had not known that it originates from the city of Lille and that it is also called boule de Lille (Ball of Lille) and apparently also Vieux Hollande (Old Holland).

 

[lairqueen]

Hi,
The trick is to only buy for one day at a time then keep it as cool as you can. Wrapped up in spare clothing or whatever. Overnight you can cover everything with a damp cloth and the evaporation keeps everything cool.
For me cheese and chorizo can last a week, although softer cheeses tend to run and get messy. I wouldn't carry yogurt as it can make a lot of itself if it leaks and it is not high on my list of must have food anyway. Milk can be stored in a Nalgene bottle and washed out each day. I use one for wild camping but don't on the Camino. If you buy local bread then that will go stale fairly quickly but is so much better than the industrial made bread with all the preservatives. So i buy bread daily and a bottle of fresh squeezed OJ as a treat.
I lived and worked in the US quite a lot over the years and was amazed at how cautious people were encouraged to be. Its all to do with litigation. A lady brought a cup of coffee from McDonalds and drove off with it in her lap. Surprise; it fell over and she was scalded. Now you can only get warm coffee because a judge said the coffee was "unnecessarily hot" and awarder her a bunch of money. In the UK we would have said she was probably too dumb to have a driving license.

There was a lot more to that McDonalds story unfortunately and it would be best to read up about it before writing it off as someone being dumb and just wanting money

 

[Anamiri]

And when you have dietary restrictions - carrying your dietary needs may be necessary and/or preferred. Even on the days I had plenty of access to "food", I didn't find I had access to the "right food" for my medically prescribed diet. Too much of the food being served was on my "do not eat" list, especially foods on the pilgrims menu. And many non-perishable foods that most people carry I am also not supposed to eat. But many of the perishable foods - things like eggs, cheese, meats, and yogurt ARE on my medically prescribed diet.

I do carry non-perishable foods. But I also need to supplement with some perishable items, perishable foods that support and promote my medical dietary needs. And to do this - to some degree, I need to carry perishable foods.

So yes, this topic is relevant to many individuals.

Travelling with a coeliac person opens your eyes to the difficulties of obtaining suitable food.
Yes there is food available on the CF regularly - but only for people without food issues.
Walking the Camino is so much easier when I'm on my own - I can at pretty much anything (Except pulpo - I feel sorry for them).
When I travel with my husband, we always had to carry food, as many places dont have suitable food.
Remember that coeliac sensitivies vary and my husband cant eat food prepared in a kitchen along with regular food containing gluten.
We regularly took hard cheese, boiled eggs, nuts, microwaved potato, corn crackers, to eat along the way.
We found only one kitchen using gluten free products - and I spent many hours reading through ingredient lists in supermarkets.
Every night we prepared food for him to carry the next day.

 

[Former member 92300]

Travelling with a coeliac person opens your eyes to the difficulties of obtaining suitable food.

YES! I don't have Celiac disease - but my kids tease me and say I have celiac disease because my diet is kind of similar. I can eat more foods that contain gluten than a celiac individual can (and gluten isn't my problem) - but too many of the carbohydrate based foods are not good for me.

 

[OZAJ]

I love the way Camembert tries to ooze itself out of my backpack after a few warm days. Houdini ain't in it!!

 

[Stivandrer]

Hard boiled eggs can be stored outside of a fridge for a week or even longer, (depending on temperature) - as long they are stored at somewhat 'cool' room temperature (not in the sun and heat of course!). Even fresh eggs could be stored outside of a fridge the first weeks ... as long as they haven't been washed (and again in a cool place, not the hot sun ect.)!

I've read that in some countries store bought eggs are always washed and that's why it has become the norm to always put them in a fridge (washing will damage the egg's natural protective layer). But with fresh eggs, it is not really necessary. Where I live, eggs are sold unrefridgerated. That's common in many parts of Europe to my knowledge. So if you look for them in a supermarket here, don't be surprised to find them outside of a fridge.

I cannot believe that eggs are washed anywhere in the world!
eggs are brushed dor dust and dirt and you should discard the shelles, and then wash your hands, yes, but if you wash the fresh eggs the will deteriorate rapidly. IOt is the permeable membrane just under the shll that will preserve the freshness of the egg as it will in nature under the mother hen !!

 

[Kathar1na]

I cannot believe that eggs are washed anywhere in the world!

And yet it is thus. And since foreign pilgrims in Spain may be puzzled by how eggs are stored by Spanish supermarkets or by their fellow European pilgrims in albergue kitchen, albergue fridge or mochila, here's something from an official (EU Commission) report. It is ten years old, so perhaps a bit outdated but it sheds some more light on this abyss between the various egg-producing and egg-marketing countries and their consumers of eggs.

Note: EU Class A eggs may not be washed. Other EU eggs may be washed before they are sold, they are just a different class egg then; a washed egg is a downgraded egg. And look at what Sweden does!!! Luckily, all these washed Swedish eggs have to stay within their national borders and must be eaten in Sweden and will never reach Spain.

4.3. Washing of eggs​

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The practice of washing eggs of class A for human consumption is forbidden by the European Union legislation. A fresh egg of class A should be produced in a way that ensures it is fit for human consumption. Washed eggs should be downgraded. This is in contrast to certain third country attitudes, such as USA, Japan and Australia where washing of eggs is commonly practised.​

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Among the Member States, it is only in Sweden that table eggs are commonly washed, in order to meet a consumer preference. Even in other Member States, like UK and Italy, the consumers may have the idea that a washed egg is safer. This idea in the mind of consumers has emerged as a consequence of repeated food poisoning cases, caused by egg-borne Salmonella enteriditis and media campaigns on this subject. The increased use of alternative systems and the consequently higher percentage of non-cage eggs available on the market may produce a higher number of dirty eggs. These dirty eggs must be downgraded and sell at a lower price, which causes a loss of income to the producers. This explains why the washing of eggs still attracts interest.​

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[oursonpolaire]

You are making some big assumptions here. Try finding a place for breakfast on any route other than the Camino Frances, or even on the Frances during the off-season! Planning some morning nourishment is wise, as is educating ourselves about food safety..

For those of us who frequent the less-frequented Caminos, we can be fairly certain of NOT finding a place for breakfast en route unless we have the good fortune to be near a truckers' café (los camineros) where good breakfasts and warm hospitality can be had. If not, then that piece of cheese and chorizo in the backpack, with an orange or two, is all that stands between one and grave food-deprivation.

 

[mspath]

For those of us who frequent the less-frequented Caminos, we can be fairly certain of NOT finding a place for breakfast en route unless we have the good fortune to be near a truckers' café (los camineros) where good breakfasts and warm hospitality can be had. If not, then that piece of cheese and chorizo in the backpack, with an orange or two, is all that stands between one and grave food-deprivation.

Indeed. It is best to be prepared with basics.