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The cross contamination

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One of the main causes of food toxinfection, both at home and in catering establishments, is cross contamination.

It´s caused by the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms from a contaminated food, mainly a raw food, to another that is not and that, being already prepared for consumption, does not have to go through any additional heat treatment.

"Forward Flow Principle" - in professional kitchen

To avoid cross contamination between foods, it is important to implement the "Forward Flow Principle". It is a method of organization, used in professional kitchen, which is based on a design of the kitchen that allows food to always go forward, from "dirtier" areas to "cleaner" zones, without crossings or setbacks, during its preparation and transformation. In professional kitchen, the kitchen is designed with three clearly differentiated areas. a) reception, b) storage and c) preparation and transformation.

"Forward Flow Principle" - in domestic kitchen

In domestic kitchens, the space available for storage, handling and cooking of food is usually more limited and this makes it difficult to design the kitchen with a clear differentiation between areas. The Silestone Institute offers you some keys to implement the "Forward Flow Principle" in your kitchen to prevent possible cross-contamination: Follow a logical sequence of work through which the food passes sequentially from its most contaminated stage or raw state, to its final consumption stage, without having to go back to an earlier stage. Avoid contact between raw and cooked foods, both directly and through kitchen equipment, utensils and containers. Avoid the crossing of waste and dirty utensils with food. Avoid crossing waste or dirty utensils with clean utensils. Avoid contact between countertops or dirty cutting boards with food. Wash your hands after handling raw food. Avoid using dirty kitchen towels or use single-use paper towels. Place cooked or ready-to-eat food in the upper shelves in the fridge and raw food, such as meat and fish, in the lower shelves.

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