What is cross-contamination?

Cross-contamination refers specifically to the transfer of harmful substances or microorganisms from one food to another, which can cause foodborne illness. This often happens when raw foods, such as meat or poultry, come into contact with ready-to-eat foods without proper cleaning and sanitizing of surfaces or utensils in between. Understanding this concept is crucial for food safety, as it highlights the importance of preventing the mixing of contaminants from different food sources during storage, preparation, and serving.

Using different utensils for each food item helps reduce cross-contamination but does not define it; rather, it is a preventative measure. Cooking food at different temperatures is important for ensuring that food is safe to eat but is unrelated to the concept of cross-contamination. Serving raw and cooked foods together also poses a risk for cross-contamination, but it is not a definition of the term itself. The focus on the transfer of harmful elements accurately identifies why cross-contamination is a critical concern in food handling practices.