As we know, foodborne diseases are not only caused by infected ingredients but also by cross-contamination. A research was done by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just proved this point.
What is Cross-Contamination?
For those that do not know this term, let me clarify; cross-contamination occurs when bacteria and viruses are transferred from a contaminated surface to one that is not contaminated. For example, when you are cutting up raw chicken on a chopping and immediately prepare vegetables that will be used for a salad, the bacteria from the raw chicken will be left on the uncooked vegetables. I need not explain to you how bad the consequences of that will be – but just in case you might not know, the people that eat the salad will suffer a very nasty bout of food poisoning caused by the e. coli on the raw chicken. You also might become their least favourite person.
The FDA discovered that both knives and graters can cause additional cross-contamination in the kitchen and that the pathogens were spread among produce items if the utensils hadn’t been washed. By inoculating the vegetables they grated or cut, the researchers found out to what degree the utensils were contaminated.
Whether you are in a restaurant, food industry or simply a home chef, it is obviously very important to wash your utensils while preparing a meal! Do you need to adopt a better utensil washing method in your cooking?
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