Cycle of Transmission of Contaminants

There are three major parts in the cycle of transmission of contaminants:

• the food
• the food handler
• the environment

Examples of Contamination in Preparation

• If a food worker stays on the job while sick and does not wash his or her hands carefully after using the toilet, the food worker can spread germs by touching food.
• If a cook uses a cutting board or knife to cut raw chicken and then uses the same knife or cutting board without washing it to slice tomatoes for a salad, the vegetables can be contaminated by germs from the chicken.
• Contamination can occur in a refrigerator if meat juices get on items that will be eaten raw.

You are not the only one, but you are the last one

It takes several steps to get food from the farm or fishery to the dining table. It is called the food production chain. Contamination can occur at any point along the chain—during production, processing, distribution, or preparation. Sometimes, by the time a food causes illness, it has been mishandled in several ways along the food production chain.

Food can be contaminated at any step of the food chain, and food handlers have the responsibility to do all it takes to prevent illness. Undercooking the food or leaving it out on the counter at an unsafe temperature, can make a foodborne disease more likely.