BEWARE OF FOOD!

Just arrived home in the UK at the end of our two week holiday part of which included a trip on the Empire Builder from Chivago to Seattle.

A lot of useful tips and advice from this site before hand but no one alerted us to the food!!

On the second day of our trip on the EB I had the lunch option of Meatballs and Rice. It was ok but could have been warmer (should this have told me something!) My partner had the "build a burger" (a safer option in hindsight!)

We both then had the steak option at dinner time.

Exactly 12 hours later - without out grossing anyone out - I revisited the dinner option quickly followed by my lunch option!!

Yep I had the dreaded food poisoning and it could have only been from the rice and meatballs given the time scale and the fact I had eaten something different from my partner.

Boy was I ill. Vomiting as you travel at speed through the night isn`t an experience I want to endure again.

As a result I ended up very poorly for two days with sickness, diarrhea, sweating and dehydration. All this in the middle of our trip as we still had to get off at Seattle, travel from the station to the hotel, spend three days in Seattle and then travel (by plane thank goodness) to San Francisco. It spoilt the holiday somewhat and although I spoke to the Customer Service Rep on board the train, she kept apologising that she was new and was learning the ropes.

I should attempt to complain but to be honest I can`t be bothered as we are still trying to get a refund on our Coastal starlight tickets from Amtrak with difficulty.

I`m writing this to alert any passengers thinking of travelling with Amtrak to consider carefully their food choices.....and take plenty of changes of clothes!!!

Whoa! That's a nasty way to spend time on a train.

Did you tell Amtrak what happened? At the very least that would permit them to look into the food handling and preparation process and see if this was a one-time issue or if there is a general problem.

PRR 60 said:

Whoa! That's a nasty way to spend time on a train.
Did you tell Amtrak what happened? At the very least that would permit them to look into the food handling and preparation process and see if this was a one-time issue or if there is a general problem.

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I agree. Maddy, you really should alert Amtrak if for nothing else than to have them take a look into the the dining crew's preparation habits and the food stock. It could be that you were given something that could potentially get others sick as well, so Amtrak needs to know that.

-Rafi

Before you blame AMTRAK totally, did any other passengers get ill from that meal?

Would seem odd that only one meal was a problem, however.

Onboard meal prep might certainly be the culprit, but that meal might have been contaminated at initial prep.

AMTRAK should take this very seriously, even if not their fault.

Sorry to hear of your problems. It would be right on AMTRAK to make good on the refunds. Keep after them, and take names as you go.

Eh, food poisoning happens. I'm really sorry about it, but I've eaten 2 dozen meals in Amtrak diners without getting sick. Its unfortunate for you to experience, but do not take this to be an endemic problem.

Although I cannot be 100% certain that it was the food I do know what I ate throughout the two days on the trip - and can list all items for you if you wish - was fine prior to the trip and the only difference between my intake and my partners was the rice and meatballs.

I am not sure if anyone else on the train experienced the same as myself but I do know when my partner mentioned that I was ill to our room attendant his reply was "yep it would be the food".

I can`t say other passengers ate the same as me without checking everyone for every small morsel going in, all I know is what I ate, I`ve eaten before without issue, both my partner and myself ate the same throughout the journey, including several sweets and snacks such as chips and he wasn`t ill.

As I said I spoke to the Customer Rep. and my partner mentioned it to the dining car staff. I am going to write to Amtrak direct - any ideas who to address an email to? - just to cover my own principles as I do believe that the matter needs to be brought to their attention if only to prevent it occuring again.

I would hate for this to put people off as overall the trip was great and met most of our expectations and we would definately do it again I just wanted people to be aware and consider choices.

daveyb99 said:

Would seem odd that only one meal was a problem, however.
Onboard meal prep might certainly be the culprit, but that meal might have been contaminated at initial prep.

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Not at all odd that there was one thing that was the problem. Given the usual level of food sanitation in this country, that is the norm. There was one thing that got improperly done and that one thing caused the problem. not likely on board prep, but possibly improper on board storage. Maybe on the order of, oops who left that out? Well it's probably OK, so I will just throw it in the freezer rather than have to write it up as spoilage/wastage.

maddy6422 said:

Although I cannot be 100% certain that it was the food I do know what I ate throughout the two days on the trip - and can list all items for you if you wish - was fine prior to the trip and the only difference between my intake and my partners was the rice and meatballs.
I am not sure if anyone else on the train experienced the same as myself but I do know when my partner mentioned that I was ill to our room attendant his reply was "yep it would be the food".

I can`t say other passengers ate the same as me without checking everyone for every small morsel going in, all I know is what I ate, I`ve eaten before without issue, both my partner and myself ate the same throughout the journey, including several sweets and snacks such as chips and he wasn`t ill.

As I said I spoke to the Customer Rep. and my partner mentioned it to the dining car staff. I am going to write to Amtrak direct - any ideas who to address an email to? - just to cover my own principles as I do believe that the matter needs to be brought to their attention if only to prevent it occuring again.

I would hate for this to put people off as overall the trip was great and met most of our expectations and we would definately do it again I just wanted people to be aware and consider choices.

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I think it's definatly worth contacting Amtrak about it. I'm not sure who to email, but I think postal address is:

National Railroad Passenger Corporation

Washington Union Station

60 Massachusetts Ave., NE

Washington, DC 20002

and I suppose you could address the letter to Alex Kummant (who's the CEO) - someone else will know better.

Not sure what I'll be eating on my upcoming trip, but I'll make sure to check it's been properly cooked!

Sorry you got sick, but you could have had a case of the Norwalk virus or related viruses. Your symptoms are classic symptoms of the Norwalk virus. You could have gotten it from the meatballs, but I doubt it since the incubation period is 1-2 days.

Yes, definitely write to Amtrak about it, but keep in mind - as the previous poster mentioned - that lots of things can cause the symptoms you observed. I had something very similar to me happen almost exactly a year ago, and I still remember the meal that I believe caused it. However, the doctors I saw (I ended up in the emergency room) thought I had "viral gastroenteritis" (a.k.a. the stomach flu). I didn't believe them at the time, as I've had "the flu" many times in my life, and had never experienced anything like that.

However, a few weeks ago my wife went through the exact same thing. Same symptoms, same "I'm sure it was something I ate", and the doctors said the same thing - viral gastroenteritis. One of the key indicators, according to them, is that food poisoning tends to make EVERYONE who ate it get sick. If that doesn't happen, it may be something else, as gastroenteritis & food poisoning exhibit the same symptoms. And, after all, they're both caused by the same thing - bacteria or viruses. The important question is WHERE that virus came from - the food, a restroom, something airborne, etc.

So, my point is that you MAY have had food poisoning, but it may have been something else. Without a doctor to evaluate you, and without other passengers who also got sick from eating the same food, Amtrak may not take your problem seriously. However, the only way they'll know it was food poisoning is if people like you report it, so please go forward with that.

I thought the topic was general advice to start a diet.. all now clear!

I think the food hygiene standards seem quite high on Amtrak. I have seen examples of all chilled food being dumped from the snackbar after even the shortest of power outages to the refrigeration.

Sorry you had a bad time, even the most expensive cruise ships have problems in that area too.

I think the one gripe I have about train food is it NEVER seems hot enough!

Ed B)

It was a good start to a diet I lost approx 7lbs!!!

As I said previously I can`t say for certain it was the food and I`ll make that clear in my correspondence to Amtrak, however bearing in mind rice is a nasty thing if not at the right temperature I am of the opinion this was the culprit.

I have expereinced similar symptoms after eating seafood and so now I am very cautious with all foods.

Prior to the trip I had eaten very little due to my own dietary needs and this added to the timescales suggest it was the food on board.

I will alert Amtrak to the incident I am not looking for cmpensation etc just to let them know is enough for me as it could have happened on any holiday as suggested by another poster.

And as I said I don`t want to put anyone off experiencing the trip as we thoroughly enjoyed the majority of the journey and would do it again!

I'm just keeping away from rice then

Has food quality been an issue in the past for Amtrak?

Trainfan

**************** NOTE - This is a Four Year Old Topic ************************

I was really sick on the southwest chief arriving Los Angeles on dec 8,2012. I'm blaming the food, but I don't know what . I was very sick al night throwing up, followed by really bad intestinal cramps and dizziness and weakness. I guess I will report it to Amtrak, as you are right, they should know

I'm not trying to dismiss Amtrak, but could it be from a cold or from something you ate BEFORE you got on the train? (Such as at home or from a vendor at say ABQ or CHI.) Otherwise, if it was from the food on the train, there should be 50-300 passengers complaining of the same problems! :excl: Did you observe that? :blush: If not, I personally would eliminate Amtrak as the cause!

PennCentralFan said:

...but you could have had a case of the Norwalk virus or related viruses. Your symptoms are classic symptoms of the Norwalk virus. ...

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Many people tend to attribute to "food posioning" what is really a Norwalk type virus. The op did not state that they had a true medical diagnosis.

I dunno. I've had food poisoning and I've had Norwalk virus.

Norwalk virus was way, way worse.

(Also I am desperately trying to come up with a good zombie joke in honor of the resurrection of this thread.....Why don't zombies eat comedian brains? They taste funny.)

You also have to remember you are traveling and the change of food along with the excitement can get the innards in a uproar, especially if you eat something that is even just borderline nasty.

:excl: Once again, please remember that the OP started this thread OVER FOUR YEARS AGO!

There has been a current question asked, but post #17 quoted a post from over 4 1/2 years ago! :excl:

Often times just a common stomach bug could pop up, and 99% of the time folks will claim it's the last thing they ate. I remember as a kid eating McDonald's french fries and being horribly sick for a day or two. Thought it was the fries, but others had the illness even though they were no where near that McD's.

It never hurts to mention it to the LSA. If others got sick, I'm sure they'd report it as well, and the trend would alert the kitchen staff that something is amiss.
If it's just the one incident, then it's a bit easier to chalk it up to a stomach virus.
Regardless, I'm sorry you were ill for a good portion of your trip. I can't imagine how awful it would be to deal with a stomach bug or food poisoning while on a train. Being sick is always so much worse when you aren't home in your own bed.

Sorcha said:

It never hurts to mention it to the LSA. If others got sick, I'm sure they'd report it as well, and the trend would alert the kitchen staff that something is amiss.
If it's just the one incident, then it's a bit easier to chalk it up to a stomach virus.
Regardless, I'm sorry you were ill for a good portion of your trip. I can't imagine how awful it would be to deal with a stomach bug or food poisoning while on a train. Being sick is always so much worse when you aren't home in your own bed.

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Since the sickness was four years ago, I imagine she's recovered by now.

I imagine that there was a misunderstanding here.

I don't think there is any misunderstanding. Many people get ridiculed for not searching the forums for relevant topics before posting a new topic that's been covered in the past. There's no harm in ressurecting the old thread to bring up a point again. The advice and comments put forth have been relevant and useful - even four years later.