Review Questions

1. What can you do to prevent bacteria in raw foods from causing foodborne illnesses?

There are several ways to prevent foodborne illnesses caused by bacterial contamination from raw foods:

• Separate raw meat, raw poultry, and raw seafood from other foods in your shopping cart and in your refrigerator.
• Use one cutting board for raw meat, raw poultry, and raw seafood. Use a different one for vegetables.
• Always wash hands, cutting boards, dishes, and utensils with hot soapy water after they come in contact with raw meat, raw poultry, raw seafood, or raw eggs.
• Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, raw poultry, raw seafood, or raw eggs.

2. Give an example of a raw food contaminating a cooked food.

These are two examples of a raw food contaminating a cooked food:

• You are making dinner. You use your cutting board to cut up some beef to make stew. Then you slice a loaf of bread on the same cutting board without washing it first.
• You are making fried chicken for a picnic. You take the raw chicken out of its wrapper. Then you transfer macaroni salad into a plastic container without washing your hands first.

3. Give an example of a raw food contaminating another raw food that is ready-to-eat.

These are two examples of a raw food contaminating another raw food that is ready-to-eat:

• You are making dinner. You use your cutting board to cut up some raw fish fillets. Then you slice cabbage for coleslaw on the same cutting board without washing it first.
• You are making breakfast. You crack eggs to make scrambled eggs. Then you prepare a fruit salad without washing your hands first.