Your Experience with Food Poisoning (or not!) Morocco

Pre-Covid we did a 15 day tour with Friendly Planet and ate, drank, and enjoy eating our way through Morocco-however, only eating where and with the group. Only one person had a "problem" during the entire trip. If touring, doubt you will have any issues eating at the venues they take you to, plus, am sure vegan alternatives will be available.

Thanks! I'm vaccinated for Hep A and all my standard vaccines. (And will try to avoid getting bitten by my camel!) I've been on both the CDC and Morocco websites as well as myriad others.
Likely there's not some magic answer, but using my best judgement as the tour unfolds. Still, personal experiences are always really helpful.
Thanks again!

@treemoss2 Plenty of people travel with dietary restrictions so the OP’s situation is not uncommon.

What tour company are you traveling with? Reputable tour companies vet their dining places. They don’t want you to get sick either as that is a nightmare scenario for themselves and their guides. We have traveled to many countries that have a reputation for turista but have only rarely gotten sick. My husband is more sensitive it seems to this sort of thing no matter how careful he is and even when we eat the same thing so that has happened a couple times in 40 years of travel. The main thing is just to keep the local water out of your mouth which you know already and be careful with street food unless the guide tells you it’s safe. I know you are worried but you will undoubtedly find your fears are unfounded. We just came back from India and Nepal which are notorious for Delhi belly. We ate everything (no street food) and did not have any digestive issues. Stop worrying, enjoy the food and have a good time.

We were just in Morocco (Chefchaouen, Fes, Merzouga, Marrakech) in September and had zero problems. We ate whatever was put on our plate, and did some exotic eating like a kefta (spiced ground beef) sandwich at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere, couscous in a desert tent, and snail soup from the Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakech. I generally have a cast iron stomach and love eating street food wherever I go; my wife has had travellers diarrhea more than once but had no problems with any of that in Morocco.

We did take some precautions like:
- Hep A and B vaccinations before we went;
- Pepto-Bismol tablets four times a day (at least for the first week);
- we didn't drink tap water (in fact, were never offered it; bottled water is ubiquitous in Morocco), but did brush our teeth in tap water.

All of this to say, Morocco is no worse than any destination in southern Europe, and better than many places in Africa and Asia.

Here a link to a previous forum topic on preventing intestinal issues while traveling.

I posted a link to Sarah Murdoch's blog where there was an article called The Traveler's Diarrhea Companion. The regimen starts before you travel.
Looks like you are already doing your homework by consulting with your insurance company's nurse.

Enjoy your trip!

Preventing travel diarrhea

Mary, Darren and KHansen, thank you taking the time sharing these personal experiences with me. It's encouraging! That link is especially helpful and I will look into the Pepto Bismal idea.
I'm going with Intrepid, who were upfront (along with mobility challenges) that meeting dietary restrictions in Morocco would likely be problematic, when considering the tour.
And I don't believe it's the tour manager's responsibility to feed me for 12+ days, anyway! I've been to Greenland and Cuba where my options were certainly quite limited but I got by just fine for a couple weeks.
I've always wanted to visit Morocco and am really looking forward to the learning adventure! Thank you again for the input and suggestions!

"Seems your travel focus will be consumed to a large degree in managing your maladies."

This comment was just so hurtful, along with most of the rest of that response. It's a violation of posting guidelines!
Reported

I have not been, but some friends who traveled independently (*used a guide for a few things) did unfortunately get food poisoning -- but fortunately on their way home, so they recuperated in a hotel in Madrid for a few days. The tricky thing is being vegan, and as a vegetarian I hope you will post a trip report! It is just really hard for us because the things we can fall back on in some places are verboten, like salad. I was worried when I went to Brazil but had no problem, and I hope you will have similar luck!
I love Moroccan food too, but I am sure I prepare it much differently than they do in country.

"Seems your travel focus will be consumed to a large degree in managing your maladies."

Seems like a lack of imagination and/or education:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Holman

[snip]

James Holman FRS (15 October 1786 – 29 July 1857), known as the "Blind Traveller," was a British adventurer, author and social observer, best known for his writings on his extensive travels. Completely blind and experiencing pain and limited mobility, he undertook a series of solo journeys that were unprecedented both in their extent of geography and method of "human echolocation". In 1866, the journalist William Jerdan wrote that "From Marco Polo to Mungo Park, no three of the most famous travellers, grouped together, would exceed the extent and variety of countries traversed by our blind countryman." In 1832, Holman became the first blind person to circumnavigate the globe. He continued travelling, and by October 1846 had visited every inhabited continent.

Thank you. Valadelphia!
When traveling away from the US on my own (which I have been fortunate to do, extensively) I always love browsing grocery stores, where I can also typically find items that are safe for me to eat, as well as trying restaurants. An excellent cook, if I may say so about myself :) , Middle Eastern food that incorporates lentils segues into tahini and dates and etc! All faves, as are traditional Moroccan spice combos. The point being, my focus has been primarily on specific ingredients vs food safety.
Although as someone who prepares food for many others all week long I'm always cognizant of food prep safety!
Anyway, I am also used to not having many/any options when traveling. But the flip side is the absolute joy when I do!
In this case, with daily ( several lengthy) minivan drives between destinationsadded to the mix, I am grateful to those who shared their Moroccan - specific experiences!

Wow, RobertH! That is just absolutely beyond inspiring! I had never heard of him. Thanks for sharing!

As someone who is a magnet for GI issues when food or hand hygiene in food prep is even a bit off in ‘regular’ places (looking at you London, Copenhagen, Ghent, Budapest to name just 4), I commend you on your advance preparations. I never travel without over the counter medications for these symptoms. While I eat a range of foods at home, I proceed very cautiously with some foods when I travel as they can sometimes be more susceptible to contaminants. Feeling unwell while travelling is worth a bit of effort to avoid given the time and money spent to begin with. Wishing you good health and much enjoyment on your trip!

There is some evidence that prophylactic use of Pepto-Bismol may reduce your risk for traveler’s diarrhea.
https://www.berkeleywellness.com/self-care/over-counter-products/article/pepto-bismol-prevention
&
https://archive.nytimes.com/well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/22/staying-healthy-while-traveling-the-globe/
&
https://www.frommers.com/tips/health-and-travel-insurance/pepto-bismol-for-travelers-diarrhea

Claire, thank you for the encouragement and reassurance. It's interesting that many people seem to have an "Achilles heel" wherever we are or whatever we eat, etc- one son gets headaches, a co- worker severe backaches, etc. For you it's apparently GI!
As I chased a diagnosis for a horrible episode of vertigo I had no typical GI or other celiac symptoms (and still don't) but for whatever reason, suddenly, as an older adult, developed a gluten/dairy reaction that I hope to never experience again. (My reporting of the Forum member was their at best cavalier and at worst callous indifference to a medically valid concern.)
Some of my most challenging experiences have actually been in France and even Germany where one time the cook assured me there was no dairy, but it turned out it was lactose free.
I am fluent in French, but when it comes to cooking a lot gets lost in translation even in the US!
Thanks more for the really helpful responses! Healthy 2025!
I'm also really grateful for the posts suggesting Pepto Bismal as a prophylactic! Who knew? Not me!
I've always taken a generic anti- diarrheal along with hydration tablets. But never looked into PB! That's coming with me and I am so grateful for the advice!

Both my wife and i travel with a Z-Pack and Ciprofloxacin along with Pepto Bismol and imodium. In all of our years of traveling we have needed to use the Z-Pack for stomach issues twice. My wife in Tibet and me in Morocco last year in the middle of the Sahara. I believe that my stomach were caused by eating a couple of meatballs at the Riad we stayed at the night before entering the desert. The z-pack cleared it right up and i was feeling better within an hour. With your diet I would not worry too much about the food and tea.

Thank you for the helpful personal experience, Ed. (And glad you recuperated quickly, especially in the desert!)
My trip's a week away! I will certainly report back once home again. I don't intend to let my dietary challenges keep me from learning about and experiencing other cultures and the suggestions I received were really supportive :)
Healthy and happy new year!

Just be ready for one trivial side effect of Pepto Bismol. It makes your poop black as coal. Don't worry; that's normal and harmless.