Using color-coded cutting boards and utensils is an effective strategy to help prevent _________.

Cross-contamination is one of the biggest challenges to preventing foodborne illness. It can occur in any of these scenarios:
1) Something that is dirty touches something that is clean.
2) Raw food that requires a lower temperature for cooking touches raw food that requires a higher temperature of cooking.
3) Raw food touches ready-to-eat food.
4) Food containing an allergen touches food that does not contain an allergen.
5) Any of the above examples also apply if a person or object touches one of them and then the same person or object touches another one of them (without being cleaned and sanitized between contact).
Color-coded cutting boards and utensils help to prevent #5 from occurring. A common mistake is using the same cutting board or utensils on foods that should not come into contact with each other. It is wise for a food service establishment to have separate cutting boards and utensils for each type of food. These should be color-coded so that one color is only used for poultry, while another color is only used for ground meats, and so on.