Cross contamination can cause both you and your client to become ill, and while you, as a healthy person may recover quickly, an elderly or ill person may take far longer or possible die from this.

Cross contamination from bacteria is very likely to take place when raw food comes into contact with ready-to-eat food, or surfaces and utensils.

The most common ways which can be avoided are:

Preparing food correctly

• Making use of different boards for chopping and preparing raw foods and cooked foods. Also use different utensils for raw and cooked foods.
• Thoroughly wash any boards and utensils used for raw foods before using them for cooked foods.
• Never wash raw meat. The reason for this is that it can pose a risk of food poisoning from campylobacter disease. It will spread any bacteria onto work surfaces, clothing, cooking equipment and hands.
• Before you touch ready-to-eat food, you should wash your hands, and always after you have touched any raw foods.

Store food correctly

• Cover all raw food and store away from cooked food
• Try to use dishes with lips to prevent spillage
• All raw food should be stored on the bottom shelf so that it cannot drip onto cooked food
• Try wherever possible to use different plates, utensils and chopping boards for raw and cooked foods

When shopping

• Take enough plastic bags with you so that all the raw food can be packed separately from any cooked foods
• Separate household cleaning products from foods
• After unpacking the shopping check the bags for spillages. If spillage has happened, do not use the bags again for foods.
• Aim where possible to use cotton or fabric bags as these can be washed if they get soiled
• When shopping, keep raw foods separate from cooked foods

Final thoughts

The most common way to cross contaminate is through contact between raw and cooked foods and this is also the easiest way to prevent it.

As far as possible use different chopping boards and utensils, keep raw and cooked foods apart and store correctly.

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