Cross contamination is one of the major causes of foodborne illness and can easily occur during preparation.
This happens when bacteria or other pathogens are transferred form one food or item to another.
This occurs when a raw food touches or shares contact with ready to eat or cooked foods. Cross contamination is using the same knife to cut both chicken and rolls.
If raw chicken is stored in the refrigerator above lettuce and the chicken juice drips onto the lettuce this is also cross contamination.
Cross contamination can be prevented by:
*Preventing raw, ready to eats and cooked foods touching each other while shopping, preparing or storing.
*Preventing blood and juices from raw foods dripping onto cooked foods
*Preventing bacteria from being transferred on hands, knives, utensils, chopping boards or work surfaces.
Cross contamination can occur when unwashed hands come in contact with food, when a microorganism carrying food comes in contact with another food, or when food comes in contact with contaminated surface.
Cross contamination in food
