How to Prevent Cross-Contamination at Home

Cross-contamination happens when germs move from raw food, hands, utensils, or surfaces to something else. The highest-risk shortcut is letting raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs touch food that will not be cooked again.

Start at the shop

Keep raw meat and seafood separate from produce and ready-to-eat food in the trolley and shopping bags. At home, store raw items sealed on the lowest refrigerator shelf so juices cannot drip.

Use clean equipment

If possible, use one board for raw meat and another for produce and ready-to-eat food. Otherwise, prepare the ready-to-eat ingredients first, then wash the board, knife, dishes, and worktop thoroughly with hot, soapy water before and after raw ingredients.

Never return cooked food to an unwashed plate that held it raw. Do not reuse a raw-meat marinade as a sauce unless it is first brought to a boil.

Do not wash raw poultry

Rinsing chicken does not make it safer and can splash bacteria around the sink and nearby surfaces. Proper cooking is what addresses bacteria on raw poultry.

Sources

• FDA: Safe Food Handling
• FDA: Separating Food