Food safety and hygiene in the kitchen
Design & Technology · Key Stage 2 · The School
Cross-contamination
CROSS-CONTAMINATION is when germs move from one food to another. This often happens through a shared surface, knife or hand. Raw meat can carry germs. Cooking would normally kill these germs. But if they spread first, onto something eaten raw like salad, cooking never gets the chance. That one small mistake can undo all the care taken cooking the meat properly.
Storing food safely
Raw meat is stored below ready-to-eat food in a fridge. That way it cannot drip onto anything else. Cooked and raw foods are kept on separate chopping boards. A fridge is kept cold to slow germs down. That is most of what a fridge is actually for. Even a well-organised fridge cannot make up for poor habits elsewhere in the kitchen.
When hand washing matters most
Hands are washed before cooking starts. They are washed again after touching raw meat. They are washed after touching a bin, a phone, or a pet too. These are not random moments. Each one is a point where germs are likely to spread somewhere they should not go.
A cook chops raw chicken on a board. Then they rinse the knife under a tap. Then they use the very same board to chop salad. That is cross-contamination. A quick rinse does not remove all the germs from a surface. The safer way is different. Use a separate board for the salad from the start. Wash the chicken board properly, with hot soapy water, before it touches anything else. One small change in order avoids the entire problem.