Ontario Food Handler Certification Practice Exam

In what way can hands get contaminated in a food handling environment?

1. Touching clean dishes

2. Handling packaged food

3. Touching money

4. Using kitchen utensils

The correct answer is: Touching money

In a food handling environment, hands can easily become contaminated through various interactions, and touching money is a significant way this can happen. Money is frequently handled by various individuals and can carry a variety of bacteria and germs. When food handlers touch money and then return to handling food without washing their hands, they risk transferring those contaminants to the food they are preparing or serving. This is especially important in a setting where hygiene is critical to preventing foodborne illnesses. The other choices, while they may involve contact with surfaces or items related to food preparation, do not carry the same level of risk for contaminating hands with harmful pathogens as handling money does. Clean dishes and packaged food are generally considered to be less likely to harbor bacteria, provided they have been sanitized correctly. Using kitchen utensils also shouldn't pose a risk if the utensils are kept clean and used properly. These items do not present the same direct and immediate risk of contamination as handling cash.