Which food safety practice is crucial during food handling?

Keeping raw and cooked foods separate is a crucial food safety practice because it helps prevent cross-contamination, which can lead to foodborne illnesses. Raw foods, particularly meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs, often harbor harmful bacteria that can transfer to ready-to-eat foods if they come into contact. By maintaining a clear separation between raw and cooked items, food handlers can significantly reduce the risk of these pathogens spreading, thereby ensuring that the food remains safe for consumption.

In addition to this practice, it is also important to note that washing hands before cooking contributes to food safety by reducing the likelihood of bacteria being transferred from hands to food. However, this practice alone does not address the risk posed by mixing raw and cooked foods. Cooking foods until golden brown may not always ensure they are safe, and storing leftovers at room temperature is unsafe as it can promote bacterial growth. Hence, maintaining separation between raw and cooked foods is essential as it directly tackles the prevention of foodborne illness from contaminated food.