What measure helps prevent cross-contamination at all stages?

• A. Separation of raw and ready-to-eat food at all stages (delivery, storage, preparation, serving, distribution)
• B. Storing raw foods above ready-to-eat foods
• C. Using same cutting board for raw and cooked foods
• D. Washing hands only after handling raw foods

Answer: (A)

Keeping raw and ready-to-eat foods separate at every stage is the best way to prevent cross-contamination. By maintaining separation during delivery, storage, preparation, serving, and distribution, any bacteria from raw items are kept away from foods that won’t be cooked or are eaten raw, so potential pathogens can’t transfer from one item to another through surfaces, utensils, or hands.

Think about it across the whole flow: delivery should bring raw and ready-to-eat items into distinct areas or with barriers; storage should keep raw foods in a protected, lower position to prevent drips onto ready-to-eat items; preparation needs separate cutting boards, knives, and surfaces that are cleaned and sanitized between uses; serving should shield ready-to-eat foods and prevent cross-contact; distribution should maintain separation so that handling and transport don’t mix the two types.

The other ideas introduce or rely on contact between raw and ready-to-eat foods at some point—storing raw above ready-to-eat, using the same cutting board for both, or limiting handwashing to after handling raw foods—that all increase the chance of contaminants moving onto foods that aren’t cooked, which defeats the aim of preventing cross-contamination.