Cross Contact vs. Cross Contamination

Have you heard of these terms before?

Let’s start with the definitions, according to (Begun MS, RDN, 2020)

Cross Contact: Food allergen transferred to a food meant to be allergy friendly

Cross Contamination: Harmful bacteria transferred to a food from another food or surface 

Two big differences between the definitions are

1.     One pertains specifically to allergens while the other pertains to bacteria

2.     Allergen food proteins remain dangerous after cooking, while some harmful bacteria can be reduced or destroyed through proper cooking

Let’s go through practical strategies to help reduce cross contact

Shopping/Storing

 When purchasing condiments, try to opt for squeeze bottles to reduce the amount of cross contact with allergens. You no longer need to put a knife in the jelly or mayo to spread onto your bread. Be cautious of the squeeze bottle tip, you don’t want it to touch an allergen, such as wheat bread. 

Create specific spots for your allergy friendly items when storing them in cabinets, the refrigerator, and even the freezer. This is helpful to reduce any confusion of what food is allowed to eat, but as always confirm with the nutrition label and ingredient list before eating. 

Cooking/Cleaning

Depending on the allergens being avoided, you may want to consider purchasing additional utensils/small appliances, such as toasters, strainers, cutting boards, baking mats, pizza cutters, etc. 

 If you find you are preparing allergen and non-allergen food dishes at the same time, be sure to wash your hands between each food preparation to reduce exposure to the allergens. 

Be sure to thoroughly wash all equipment used in the kitchen, especially if it had contact with an allergen food. To be extra cautious, you can place the available equipment into the dishwasher to get a second cleaning.  

Gatherings/Eating out

As discussed in the previous article communication and education are the key to help with gatherings and eating out. 

Be sure to communicate to the waiting staff about your food allergies and the importance to reduce cross contact. 

• Don’t be afraid to speak up, if they don’t know they can’t help!

When speaking about your food allergies, be sure to inform the waiting staff about changing gloves and even aprons when preparing your meal. 

• Aprons can be used similar to a rag to wipe hands between serving dishes, so there could be allergens wiped on the apron.  

Be sure to request the need to use separated clean equipment during preparation.

When the waiting staff brings out the food, it can be reassuring for the individual who has allergies to be told their dish is free of… and was prepared separately and brought out without any additional dishes from the kitchen. 

•  If the waiting staff brings all the dishes stacked on one another and places the meals in front of each guest without stating which one is allergy friendly, the desire of wanting to eat the meal has significantly decreased because you get the feeling that there could be cross contact exposure. 

Keep in mind too, if someone has an allergy to wheat and they order a salad, you cannot just take the croutons and breadstick off the salad, it is necessary to re-do the salad.

It is equally important to communicate and educate with the hosts of the gathering about your food allergies. This situation allows more flexibility in the sense that you can bring your own allergy friendly dish for all to share and you could potentially help the host with preparations depending on your relationship. As a host it can be valuable to allow the individuals who have allergens to receive their food first to reduce any cross contact potential. An example would be if someone grabbed a roll with the salad utensils.  

You may notice individuals seem to be using cross contact and cross contamination interchangeably, but in reality they are very different and should be treated as such. It is our goal to help one another to feel safe while eating with food allergies, and by having an understanding of cross contact you are already on your way! 

Reference:

Begun MS, RDN, R. (2020, October 2). Preventing Cross-Contact at Home. EatRight Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. https://www.eatright.org/homefoodsafety/four-steps/separate/preventing-cross-contact-at-home