Which storage practice helps prevent cross-contamination?

• A. Storing utensils on the floor
• B. Storing utensils with the handle up
• C. Wrapping utensils inside plastic wrap
• D. Storing utensils near raw poultry

Answer: (B)

Storing utensils with the handles up keeps the part of the utensil that touches food out of reach and away from potential contamination. When you pick up a utensil by the handle, you aren’t touching the food-contact end, which helps prevent transferring microbes from the utensil to ready-to-eat foods. It also reduces the chance that moisture or drips from above will contaminate the food-contact surface of the utensil.

Storing utensils on the floor, near raw poultry, or wrapped in plastic wrap creates extra opportunities for contamination or awkward handling. The floor is a dirty surface, raw poultry drips can transfer pathogens, and wrapping can make retrieval cumbersome and not reliably protective.