Which practice is essential to prevent cross-contamination in a retail kitchen?

• A. Store raw poultry above ready-to-eat foods.
• B. Use separate equipment and color-coded utensils for raw and ready-to-eat foods.
• C. Allow raw foods to contact ready-to-eat items during prep.
• D. Let cleaning supplies run through the same sink used for food prep.

Answer: (B)

Using separate equipment and color-coded utensils for raw and ready-to-eat foods is the key way to stop cross-contamination. Raw foods can carry harmful bacteria that aren’t safe to have on foods that won’t be cooked before serving. If the same tools or surfaces touch both types of foods, those bacteria can transfer and cause illness. Color coding provides a quick, fail-safe visual cue that guides staff to use the right tools for each category and to sanitize or switch them as needed. In practice, keep separate cutting boards and utensils for raw versus ready-to-eat items, and clean and sanitize between uses. This approach reduces the chance that raw pathogens will reach foods that are eaten without further cooking. The other options create opportunities for contamination: raw poultry above ready-to-eat items can drip onto them, raw foods contacting ready-to-eat items directly enables transfer, and using the same sink for cleaning and food prep can spread contaminants.