40 possible ways your food can get contaminated- Part 2

In continuation of the previous article https://medium.com/@pavithrakrishnaprasad/40-possible-ways-your-food-can-get-contaminated-part-1-555820e94dfa

Cleaning and Sanitation contamination can be because of the following:-

19. Irregular cleaning of the utensils and equipment.

20. Wrong dilution of chemicals added to the chopping boards and knives.

21. Hazardous chemicals used for cleaning and sanitation.

22. When the food items left on the floor, and regular cleaning of the storey happens along.

23. When the items are just left on the floor.

24. When the area coming in direct contact with the ingredients and food is not clean and sanitised regularly and thoroughly.

25. Cleanliness of the knives. The knife needs to be sanitised thoroughly in hot water once after every use.

26. Use of same chopping boards for poultry, meat, fish, and vegetables can slowly contaminate the product. Always have colour codes to identify and separate.

27. The trays on which we stored the vegetables and other ingredients are unclean. These need to be cleaned as and when the parts are in use. At least once in 15 days. In the case of creates or baskets, it must be sanitised and dried once in 48 hours.

28. Use of dented chopping boards having gaps and chipped can easily trap the food and the loose chips can fall into the food.

29. Unclean uniforms or aprons.

Waste disposal

30. When there is no segregation of the wastes due to which there is foul smell spreading through and breeding of pests and insects — separation of wet and dry debris.

31. When the waste is not adequately discarded in a disposal bag and left open with no lid. Preferred to use bins with peddles so that person need not come in direct contact with the drawers while opening the lids.

32. When the waste is not disposed at the right time and left to leak and foul smell spreading.

Handling of chemicals, utensils, and food

33. Touching the spoon or fork in the wrong way.

34. Handling the ice directly. Use of other utensils instead of a scooper.

35. While serving, not using the tongs or gloves and instead serving of bare hands.

36. When the plate is served in the wrong way. When the fingers come in direct contact with the food instead of it being under the slab.

37. Using the same spoon for every dish or more conveniently using bare hands to pick food from the counter.

38. Use of chemicals during the preparation of food.

39. Stacking of items on top of each other and not storing at the appropriate place.

40. Storing veg and non-veg together to cause dripping loss from the non-veg food into the veg.

There are many more intricate level of contaminations involved. Those mentioned are the most common ways that can occur at home-level as well as in any hotels/restaurants. If we try to follow the opposite of all these pointers, we can at least achieve 65% of hygiene and prevent contaminations in our kitchen.