Which statement about contaminated food is true?

• A. It is cooked to the right temperature.
• B. It is stored in the freezer.
• C. It smells bad due to age but is safe.
• D. It contains harmful bacteria.

Answer: (D)

Contaminated food contains harmful bacteria or other pathogens that can cause illness even if it looks, smells, or tastes normal. This makes the statement about containing harmful bacteria the true one, because the presence of those microorganisms directly makes the food unsafe to eat.

Cooking to the right temperature can reduce or kill many bacteria, but it isn’t a guarantee of safety if the food was contaminated earlier or if toxins have formed. Freezing slows growth but doesn’t reliably eliminate all bacteria or toxins, so storing in the freezer isn’t a foolproof safety measure. A bad smell due to age isn’t a reliable indicator either—some contaminated foods don’t smell off, and some foods that smell bad aren’t necessarily dangerous.