How To Avoid Cross-Contamination

 We need to educate ourself when it comes to hygiene and sanitation ,it is very impotant to practice good hygiene and sanitaion in our house kitchen area and at our workplace its very important to learn the basic hygiene course ,

Make it an everyday task safety starts with YOU!

Here is my module that i want to share The basic hygiene course:

Cross-contamination is what happens when bacteria or other microorganisms are unintentionally transferred from one object to another. 

For example, when you're preparing raw chicken,and vegetable in the same chopping board bacteria can spread to your , knife and hands and could cause food poisoning.

- Use separate chopping board , tongs, spoon, and other utensils for cooked and un-cooked food. (Check for Chopping Boards use in your kitchen) 

Use separate cutting boards

Use seperate cutting boards to slice, chop and cut all vegetables and fruits.

Use a separate cutting board for cheeses or Dairy Products.

Use a separate  cutting board to carve or hold cooked meats. This is for all cooked meats. 

Use a separate plastic cutting board for all raw meats and fish. Because fish is cooked to different temperatures and carries different parasites, never place it on the same chopping board. The safest thing to do is have different cutting boards for beef, chicken, pork and fish. White for pork, red for beef, orange for chicken, blue for fish.

 Wash and store cutting boards properly

Wash cutting boards in very warm running water with lots of soap. Let them air dry completely before storing or stacking them.

If you are concerned about something that has touched the board, after washing the board, sanitize it with spray bottle of water and 1 tablespoon of bleach.  Let the mixture sit on the board for 5 minutes, then rinse with water and air dry completely before storing.

PREVENT CROSS CONTAMINATION BY USING PROPER ASSIGNED COLOR CODED CHOPPING BOARDS!

Bacteria will grow at temperatures below 140 degrees.  We call this the Danger Zone.  The room temperature for most home kitchens is  65-78 degrees, dirty cutting boards are basically perfect places to farm for food poisoning.

You Must Change Your Chopping Board;

1. If it has deep knife scratches on it.

2. If it no longer sits flat on your work surface.

- Don’t use the same gloves to handle raw and cooked food. Remove your Hand Gloves before touch any material. 

Some Questions Asked by Readers:

Why is  cross contamination a problem?

Cross contamination can cause food poisoning when bacteria are transferred onto food that is ready to eat. For example, if raw meat comes into contact with cooked chicken on a sandwich, the person eating the sandwich will consume the bacteria that was on the raw meat.

How do you prevent cross-contamination on a chopping board?

Always use a clean cutting board. Wash cutting boards, dishes, and counter tops with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item and before you go on to the next item. If possible, use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.

What are the consequences of using an unclean chopping board?

One of the utensils you use every day is harbouring potentially deadly germs that could cause bacterial food poisoning — your chopping board. The essential item is up to 200 times dirtier than a toilet seat with an whopping average bacteria count of 24,250 per square cm, new research has found.

What are the 3 types of cross contamination?

There are three main types of cross contamination: food-to-food, equipment-to-food, and people-to-food. In each type, bacteria are transferred from a contaminated source to uncontaminated food.

What is an acceptable sanitizer to use after cleaning a cutting board?

To sanitize a cutting board, either plastic or wood, use a dilute chlorine bleach solution (1 tablespoon per gallon of cool water). Be sure to rinse it well with warm water.

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