How Do Utensils Lead To Cross-Contamination?

Hands must be washed thoroughly, after every contact with potential source of contamination/ before food

The Maple leaf foods listeria outbreak resulted 22 deaths and a widespread recall of luncheon meat, Sandwiches and deli platters, more than  220 packages of produce and a 20$ million dollar settlement for the company as well as consumer confidence in the produce was jolted. The Outbreak was caused by two meat slicing machine’s that were contaminated with Listeriosis and not cleaned properly.

Contamination may happen at any stage of food production, from seed and soil to packaging and cooking. Meat may be contaminated by inadequate storage or poor hygiene. Cross contamination can happen through raw meat. Pathogens can still be present in food due to food that is insufficiently warm. Food should only be reheated once, and drinking water could also be contaminated, although there are hygiene controls to prevent

To prevent cross contamination from one food to another. This is done by always cleaning the counter tops, cutting board, knives, and other utensils, before introducing another food to the surface or instrument. For example, never chop up your vegetables on the same cutting board you used for the raw chicken, unless you have thoroughly cleaned the cutting board.

Rashes of sickness like the ones we’ve seen this summer really speak to the importance of handwashing and diligent adherence to health codes when you work in the food industry--but it’s possible that some things slip through the cracks.

I recognise that with my own experience it can be quite easy to cause cross contamination, correct hand washing is vital as it is one of the main cause for the increase of infections in hospitals. I thought that washing your hands was quite straight forward until I used the ultra violet light and saw the places that I missed. I now practise the seven stages of hand washing ensuring I clean my hands correctly reducing the risk of cross contamination.

The article titled, “ ‘Harmless’ Things You Should Really Wash Your Hands After Touching” by William Harris, is that every day of people's lives they get germs from all the things they touch.

Foodborne illness, or food poisoning, happens everyday in the U.S. and it is estimated that 48 million people are affected by it every year. Of these 48 million, 128,000 end up in the hospital and 3000 of them die from foodborne pathogens (Tucker, 2014). Foodborne illnesses can be caused by biological, chemical, or physical contaminants. The biological contaminants consist of bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Chemical contaminants are pesticides, cleaning supplies, and toxic chemicals. Physical contaminations are dirt, glass, wood, splinters, stones, hair, jewelry, and metal shavings (Tucker, 2014). Salmonella, a bacterium, has been the most common reported cause of food poisoning. Salmonella is most commonly exposed to humans through animal feces and it is usually from animals that give us beef, poultry, and dairy products. People who do not wash their hands after being around animals can also transmit salmonella into our food. The symptoms of Salmonella are abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and fever (Tucker, 2014). The symptoms will usually resolve on their own in healthy people but may become life threatening in those with compromised immune systems. In order to prevent Salmonellosis, raw eggs should be avoided, as well as undercooked meat, shellfish, and unpasteurized milk and juice (Tucker, 2014). It is also important to always practice hand hygiene before handling any uncooked food products. Escherichia Coli, otherwise known as E. coli, is

Healthcare associated infections have an impact on patients - how? Can be prevented greatly with compliance to hand hygiene protocols (REF).

Cutting boards are part of culinary and other kitchen activities. One could not complete a palatable meal without using one of them. Medical and health experts maintain that these boards should be kept clean and germ-free with each use, particularly in using it for vegetable and meat. There should be a separate cutting board for meat and

Restaurants in particular, have to be very cautious to prevent their customers from being served contaminated food. Not properly handling meat or cross contaminating can cause food-borne illnesses or even death. A story reported in 2013 described an incident where 80 people became sick from improperly handled food (FoxNews, 2013). Their report demonstrates how easy it can be for people to get sick if food is not handled correctly. One of the most important parts to handling meat, is figuring out the safest way to thaw meat in order to prevent bacteria and disease from growing before cooking it. Although the bacteria is killed when heated above a certain temperature, it can still cause harm if not properly handled. This experiment will test the different possible methods of thawing meat to prevent disease and bacteria from spreading before

preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent illness. This includes a set of laws that should be followed to stay away from potentially severe health hazards. Food can transmit disease from individual to individual, and also serves as a growth medium for bacteria that can cause food poisoning (Roberts, 2001). Debates on genetic food safety include such issues as the impact of genetically modified foods on the health of further generations and genetic pollution of the

They can also do swabbing of the utensils used to cook the food, kitchens, and food itself ETC.

Food gets contaminated after a certain period of time because bacteria start growing in it. Food contains certain preservatives like salts and other chemicals. However, they do not last long and so if food is not

This is caused by food-borne pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and parasites that can seriously harm or even kill you. Forty cents of every U.S dollar spent on food is for restaurant or prepared foods, which allows for more possibility of consuming cheap foods prepared by inexperienced handlers, posing a greater risk of improper cooking and/or cross contamination of foods. When preparing meals at home you can better control the temperatures when cooking meats, keep hands and countertops clean and properly wash your raw produce.