CROSS-CONTACT VERSUS CROSS-CONTAMINATION:
GET ORGANISED IN THE KITCHEN
When it comes to serving food to customers, chefs have a duty of care to ensure
no cross-contact or contamination takes place in their kitchens. Failure to do so can
lead to illness and, in extreme cases, death. So how can restaurant chains educate
staff around risk reduction? Mediaworks content writer Amy Hodgetts explores what
employees working in commercial kitchens need to know.T
he causes of cross-
contamination
It is obvious that if cross-
contamination takes place,
customers can be in danger when
consuming your food. It occurs when
bacteria or other potentially harmful
micro-organisms are unintentionally
transferred from one place to another, in
this case, from one food item to another.
It occurs in one of three ways:
people to food, for example handling
raw meat then proceeding to handle
cooked meat without washing hands;
food to food, such as if raw meat
touches cooked meat in storage; and
equipment to food, when a knife is
used to cut raw meat, and then used to
cut vegetables, for instance.How is cross-contact different
and why is it risky?
Cross-contact has more of a focus
on allergies. This is when different
foods mix proteins after coming into
contact with each other. Instead
of bacteria being the problem, as
it is with cross-contamination, the
problem here is the trace element of
another food item being present.
Usually, the amount is so small that
visible evidence of it cannot be seen.
But for individuals who are highly
allergic to certain food items, even
a trace element of that food can be
enough to trigger a serious reaction.
Essentially, cross-contamination
causes illness, while cross-contact
causes allergic reactions.The responsibility of commercial
kitchen operators
When it comes to food handling,
there is some level of responsibility in
place for kitchens. According to the
government website, complying with
food safety laws requires businesses to
follow food hygiene practices.
It outlines that it is the business’
responsibility to prevent any items
that come into contact with food from
transferring anything to the food
substance, as well as having traceability
of any such food contact materials.
Businesses are expected to create
processes around the Hazard Analysis
and Critical Control Point principles
(HAACP). HAACP requires businesses
to identify and avoid, remove orKitchens are governed
by a set of stringent
food safety laws.40 | Foodservice Equipment Journal | August 2019 http://www.foodserviceequipmentjournal.com
OPINION