HOW TO PREVENT CROSS CONTAMINATION

Cross contamination is one of the major areas considered in any food safety management system including, but not limited to ISO 22000, HACCP, GMP, BRC, Global Gap etc. when you consider ISO 22000 food safety management systems, it is one of the highly considered areas in risk assessment.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, approximately 10 million people suffer food-related illness each year. The majority of these illnesses last a short time and cause minor symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Controlling food-related illness is difficult because bacteria may survive food processing and foods may become contaminated during preparation, cooking or storage. While there are many instances in which food contamination can occur during processing, 40 per cent of all food-borne illness outbreaks are a direct result of hand contamination which is the major cross contamination method in food industry. You would be surprised to learn 10 million bacteria can fit on an object as small as a pinhead. Given the right conditions, those 10 million bacteria can double every 20 minutes and spread rapidly with hands responsible for the dissemination of an estimated 80 per cent of common infectious disease.

Cross contamination is transferring bacteria or other harmful substances to food that has already been cooked or is ready to be served to the customer. i.e. Handling raw hamburger meat and then putting lettuce and tomatoes on the hamburger bun without washing your hands first. Any of the following things can transfer bacteria or other contaminates to ready-to-eat-food, such as your hands, utensils, knives, counters, cutting boards, cleaning cloths, raw food drippings etc.

How to Prevent Cross Contamination

Wash your hands between tasks, before touching ready-to-eat food, or before touching clean utensils.

Use a clean spoon each time you taste food.

Wash, rinse and sanitize utensils and all work surfaces after each task, especially after raw meat has touched the utensil or work surface.

Keep cutting boards and utensils in good repair for easier cleaning.

Store raw meat below ready-to-eat or cooked food

Store raw products separate from ready-to-eat products

It's very important to prepare food safely, to help stop harmful germs from spreading and growing.

Prevention of Commercial Cross Contamination

Don't let raw meat, poultry or unwashed raw vegetables touch other foods.

Never prepare ready-to-eat food using a chopping board, utensil or knife that you have used to prepare raw meat, poultry or unwashed raw vegetables unless they have been washed and disinfected thoroughly first.

Clean worktops and utensils with hot water and detergent and remember to disinfect those surfaces that have come in contact with raw meat, poultry and unwashed raw vegetables. You can disinfect equipment and utensils using boiling water, a chemical such as an antibacterial leaner or in a dishwasher which are in food grade.

Always use proper garments according to the work and use disposable gloves, masks and gum boots as required.

Always wash your hands thoroughly after touching raw meat, poultry and unwashed raw vegetables, and before you touch anything else.

Always cover raw meat and store it on the bottom shelf of the fridge where it can't touch or drip onto other foods.

Root vegetables such as potatoes, leeks and carrots often have traces of soil on them which can contain harmful bacteria, so wash them thoroughly before use. Don't forget to wash other fruit and vegetables too, especially if they are going to be eaten raw.

Keep dishcloths clean and change them regularly.

Prevention of House Hold Cross Contamination

When shopping

Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other foods in your grocery-shopping cart.

Place these foods in plastic bags to prevent their juices from dripping onto other foods.

It is also best to separate these foods from other foods at check out and in your grocery bags.

When refrigerating food

Place raw meat, poultry, and seafood in containers or sealed plastic bags to prevent their juices from dripping onto other foods. Raw juices often contain harmful bacteria. Store eggs in their original carton and refrigerate as soon as possible.

When preparing food

Cleaning in Place – Wash hands and surfaces often. Harmful bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get onto cutting boards, utensils, and counter tops.

Hand Washing – Wash hands with soap and hot water before and after handling food, and after using the bathroom, changing diapers; or handling pets. Use hot, soapy water and paper towels or clean clothes to wipe up kitchen surfaces or spills. Wash cloths often in the hot cycle of your washing machine. 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.

Cutting Boards – Always use a clean cutting board. If possible, use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood. Once cutting boards become excessively worn or develop hard-to-clean grooves, you should replace them.

Marinating Food – Always marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Sauce that is used to marinate raw meat, poultry, or seafood should not be used on cooked foods, unless it is boiled just before using.

Fruits and Vegetables – Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables in running tap water to remove visible dirt and grime. Remove and discard the outermost leaves of a head of lettuce or cabbage. Because bacteria can grow well on the cut surface of fruit or vegetables, be careful not to contaminate these foods while slicing them up on the cutting board, and avoid leaving cut produce at room temperature for many hours.

Disease Control – Avoid preparing food for yourself or others if you are ill, especially with vomiting and/or diarrhoea.

  

When serving food

Always use a clean plate; never place cooked food back on the same plate or cutting board that previously held raw food.