Is it very NG to get the used plate and re-pick up the meal? Experts reveal the 6 most common mistakes in eating buffets

 8:22am, 31 May 2025

Many people like to choose a buffet or salad bar when they go out to eat because there are a variety of foods to choose from, enjoy the convenience of eating a variety of delicacies without having to cook each dish yourself. However, because the food on the salad bar is exposed to air, the chances of food being infected with bacteria are higher. Parade reports pointed out that there are several common errors when using salad bar meals. If you ignore the habit, it is easy to cause bacteria to be eaten by yourself or the people around you, which affects your health.

The following are 6 common mistakes proposed by food safety experts when eating salad bars:

1. Clean it up after use, whether it is the dishes that fall out of the pickup or the sauce that is poured on the plate, the buffet or salad bar is sometimes difficult to avoid being a little dirty. If you are a person who has a personal sticker, you may want to organize the meals cleanly by yourself, but food safety experts recommend a better approach, but in fact, you should ask the store staff to help clean them.

Vice President of Food Science at National Restaurant Association Patrick · Guzel (Photograph, Patrick Guzzle said that general service staff have training on how to clean the buffet and can handle food hygiene problems professionally. "Sorting salad bars is part of the service work, so you don't need to feel embarrassed to ask them for help." He asked service staff to help clean food that fell outside the plate or came out, and they will also have more opportunities to confirm the status of other foods on the meal and ensure the health safety of the meal.

2. Hand-picking meals

Food safety experts say that even if you use washing hands to pick up several cubes, your hands may not be damaged due to the exposure of hydrating paper or any surface with microorganisms or bacteria, which will cause the food you touch to be stained. Even if you don’t get sick by it yourself, it may still cause people around you to get sick or eat bacteria. Therefore, using tableware to get dining spots is the correct way to do it.

3. Use the used plate to re-check the meal

When you finish eating and want to pick up the meal, it seems reasonable to take the empty plate and then pack more food, and it can make the restaurant staff wash one less plate, right? But food safety experts say this is another way for you to spread bacteria through food slag without knowing it. So take another new plate, the restaurant staff will be very happy that you use one plate to ensure the food safety of other customers.

4. Use the same tableware to use different foods

If different dishes are placed next to it, it seems very convenient to use the same soup spoon or iron to use two plates of different foods, but in fact, this will increase the risk of bacterial transmission. Whether it is to use raw tableware to obtain cooked food, or use tableware to absorb other foods dipped in sauce, it may even transmit allergens, which will seriously affect the dining safety of other guests with food allergy.

5. Use your own tableware to get the dining spots

Food safety experts say that you must never use your tableware to get the dining tables on the dining table, because the tableware you used may contain your saliva and bacteria. Any tableware that has not been properly disinfected or cleaned cannot be re-taken for the meal or contact the dining table, which may affect the health safety of the food.

6. I couldn't help but start eating before I got back to my seat. Although it was intimidating to take a bite before I got back to my seat, food safety experts said that I should wait until I got back to the table before moving on, because through the air, the food in your plate would have the chance to be cross-infected.

report said that you can consider these 6 things as a good reminder, especially when dining at a restaurant with a buffet or salad bar. As long as everyone follows some simple food safety rules, the buffet can be both delicious and safe.

Responsible editor: Gu Zihuan