# Cross contamination

Source: https://projectgcse.co.uk/food_technology/safety_and_hygiene/cross_contamination

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- You must prevent raw and cooked foods touching each other.
- If raw and cooked foods touch each other then bacteria pass between them.
- You must not allow meat to drip onto other foods as this will contaminate the food.
- You must also prevent bacteria from being transferred on hands, chopping boards, surfaces and other utensils. This will allow bacteria to spread onto other food.
- The Danger Zone is between 5°C and 63°C
- This is the temperature where bacteria reproduces fastest at.
- There are various ways of killing bacteria:
- Extreme temperature, no moisture, no air (tinning) or using a disinfectant to kill the bacteria.
- When you cook food, you must make sure you cook it all the way through and defrost in properly or bacteria may not be killed.