Which storage practice helps prevent cross-contamination?

Which storage practice helps prevent cross-contamination?

• A. Storing utensils on the floor
• B. Storing utensils with the handle up
• C. Wrapping utensils inside plastic wrap
• D. Storing utensils near raw poultry

Answer: (B)

Storing utensils with the handles up keeps the part of the utensil that touches food out of reach and away from potential contamination. When you pick up a utensil by the handle, you aren’t touching the food-contact end, which helps prevent transferring microbes from the utensil to ready-to-eat foods. It also reduces the chance that moisture or drips from above will contaminate the food-contact surface of the utensil. Storing utensils on the floor, near raw poultry, or wrapped in plastic wrap creates extra opportunities for contamination or awkward handling. The floor is a dirty surface, raw poultry drips can transfer pathogens, and wrapping can make retrieval cumbersome and not reliably protective.

Storing utensils with the handles up keeps the part of the utensil that touches food out of reach and away from potential contamination. When you pick up a utensil by the handle, you aren’t touching the food-contact end, which helps prevent transferring microbes from the utensil to ready-to-eat foods. It also reduces the chance that moisture or drips from above will contaminate the food-contact surface of the utensil.

Storing utensils on the floor, near raw poultry, or wrapped in plastic wrap creates extra opportunities for contamination or awkward handling. The floor is a dirty surface, raw poultry drips can transfer pathogens, and wrapping can make retrieval cumbersome and not reliably protective.