Cross-contamination, a common food safety term, occurs when harmful pathogens are transferred from one food to another during food preparation and cooking. Cross-contamination can be particularly damaging when foodborne pathogens are transmitted to food that will not be cooked before it is served. A classic example is when a cutting board that has been used to cut raw chicken is then used to prepare fresh lettuce without being cleaned and sanitized in between. The result is that any harmful bacteria on the raw chicken will transfer onto the lettuce. If the lettuce is served uncooked, there will be no opportunity to kill the harmful pathogens. Ultimately, contaminated lettuce will be served and could make everyone who eats it sick. Avoiding cross-contamination is an essential step in food safety. Keeping the following tips in mind when preparing food can help you to prevent a very unpleasant and possibly dangerous situation of your own:
- Wash hands and all food preparation surfaces with soap and water before and after touching raw meat, poultry, or fish. Bacteria on raw meat, fish, or poultry can contaminate other foods such as bread or lettuce that will not be cooked.
- Utensils and countertops with warm, soapy water before food preparation begins.
- Use one cutting board for raw meat, poultry, or seafood and a different board for ready-to-eat foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese, and bread.
- Sanitize cutting boards that have been in contact with raw meat, poultry, or seafood. To sanitize, put the board in a one tablespoon liquid chlorine bleach solution in a gallon of warm (not hot) water and leave for several minutes. Plastic cutting boards can also be sanitized using the wash and dry cycle in a dishwasher.
- To sanitize kitchen counters, first wash with hot, soapy water. Then, one tablespoon of unscented chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water (or ¾ teaspoon in one quart of water) is spread on the counter. Let sit for several minutes and dry with paper towels.
- Sanitize a non-metal kitchen sponge by heating it, while still wet, in a microwave oven for 1 to 1½ minutes. Avoid burns by allowing the sponge to cool before using it.
- Use paper towels to clean up raw meat, poultry, and seafood spills on kitchen counters and other surfaces. Wash kitchen cloths and towels that have been in contact with raw meat juices in the hot cycle of the washing machine and dry in the dryer before reusing them.
For additional information on cross-contamination, visit the Home and Garden Information Center webpage at http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/.
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