In food preparation areas, there is always a risk of cross-contamination if proper food hygiene practices are not followed. Cross-contamination is when raw food touches cooked or other food products, equipment or surfaces or people’s hands. The bacteria from the raw food can then be spread to other food products and all over the kitchen, where it can cause food poisoning and present a very real danger to public health.
Preventing cross-contamination
The best way to learn about preventing cross-contamination is to undergo a food hygiene training course. In fact, if you are a food-serving business, food safety training should be a priority for all your staff members, even if it’s only at a basic level.
However, there are some tips you can learn now to help you limit the risk of cross-contamination in kitchens. These include:
• Keeping raw foods completely separate from other foods
• Ensuring your kitchen has adequate hand-washing facilities (i.e. a sink with hot water and soap) and that staff members always wash their hands after touching raw food
• Make sure that equipment and surfaces are cleaned thoroughly before and after handling raw food
• Sending your workers on food hygiene training courses, where they will learn what they need to do to prevent cross-contamination
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