What are the 3 types of contamination you must prevent?

Asked by: Jefferey Runte  |  Last update: January 23, 2026
Score: 4.5/5 (45 votes)

Food contamination happens when something gets into food that shouldn't be there, rendering it unsafe to eat. Contaminated food can have dire consequences for the person who eats it, and for the business who sold it. There are three types of food contamination: biological, chemical and physical contamination.

What are the 3 main forms of contamination?

The three types of contamination are biological, physical, and chemical. However, for the purpose of this article, we will discuss four categories. These include chemical contamination, physical contamination, microbial contamination, and allergen contamination.

Which 3 controls must you have in place to prevent contamination?

Here's the key ways to control cross-contamination:
  • Ensure that raw and ready to eat foods are separated at all times.
  • Use single use disposable or colour coded cloths for cleaning.
  • Ensure thorough cleaning and disinfection is in place.
  • Use separate sinks for hand washing, for washing food and washing equipment.

What are the 3 main sources of contamination?

Salmonella in eggs, E. Coli bacteria in ground beef, and pesticides in infant formula are just a few contaminations since the turn of the century that have ravaged the food supply and crippled the food processing and manufacturing industries.

What are the 3 categories of contaminants that can make food unsafe?

There are three different types of food contamination - chemical, physical and biological.

3 Types of Food Contamination That You Must Know About

25 related questions found

What are the three main types of hazards?

There are four types of hazards that you need to consider:
  • Microbiological hazards. Microbiological hazards include bacteria, yeasts, moulds, and viruses.
  • Chemical hazards. ...
  • Physical hazards. ...
  • Allergens.

What are the three most common types of contamination on Earth?

The three major types of pollution are air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution. Sometimes, air pollution is visible. A person can see dark smoke pour from the exhaust pipes of large trucks or factories, for example. More often, however, air pollution is invisible.

What are the 3 causes of contamination?

The reasons for contamination can include:
  • poor waste management.
  • poor construction, industrial or agricultural practices.
  • illegal dumping or unsafe storage of harmful products.

What are the 3 main ways to avoid cross contamination?

Washing fruit and vegetables
  • always wash hands thoroughly before and after handling raw food, including vegetables and fruit.
  • keep unwashed raw fruit and vegetables separate from ready-to-eat food during storage and preparation.
  • where possible use a separate chopping board, knives and utensils for raw and cooked food.

What are the 3 most common types of microbial contamination?

FAQs: Microbial Contamination
  • Bacteria - Helicobacter pylori, the Salmonella family, and Escherichia coli (E. coli).
  • Viruses - Hepatitis A, Norwalk-type viruses, rotaviruses, adenoviruses, enteroviruses, and reoviruses.
  • Protozoa - Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum.

What are the 3 controls used to prevent safety hazards in the workplace?

Elimination, substitution, and engineering controls are more effective because they control exposures without significant human interaction. Administrative controls and personal protective equipment can also be effective at reducing workers' exposures to hazards.

What are the 3 control measures for biological contamination?

These include engineering controls such as containment laboratories and microbiological safety cabinets, management controls such as safe operating procedures, training, supervision, and personal protective equipment like lab coats, gloves and spectacles.

What are the three steps to preventing food contamination?

Preventing foodborne illness by following these four easy steps:
  1. Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often.
  2. Separate: Don't cross-contaminate.
  3. Cook: Cook to proper temperatures.
  4. Chill: Refrigerate promptly.

What are 3 examples of physical contamination?

PHYSICAL CONTAMINATION
  • Hair.
  • Fingernails.
  • Bandages.
  • Jewellery.
  • Broken glass, staples.
  • Plastic wrap/packaging.
  • Dirt from unwashed fruit and vegetables.
  • Pests, pest droppings, rodent hair.

What are 3 items that can cause cross contamination?

Meat, poultry, and fish can be big culprits in cross-contamination, especially when stored with ready-to-eat foods. These raw items carry bacteria that can easily transfer to foods that you won't be cooking again.

What are the three times of contamination?

Table of Contents
  • Physical Contamination.
  • Chemical Contamination.
  • Biological Contamination.

Which three practices can prevent cross contamination?

Here is how you can keep your food safe from cross-contamination:
  • Separate foods into different containers. ...
  • Position your foods so they do not drip. ...
  • Practice good hygiene in the kitchen. ...
  • Wash your hands after you handle raw meat.
  • Keep separate cutting boards for meat and vegetables if possible.

What are the three measures to prevent cross infection?

What you need to do
  • cover nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing and sneezing, dispose of used tissue in a waste bin, and clean hands.
  • cough or sneeze into the inner elbow (upper sleeve) if no tissues are available, rather than into the hand.
  • keep contaminated hands away from their eyes, mouth and nose.

What are 2 name 3 ways to prevent cross contamination?

Some ways to help prevent cross contamination include:
  • use separate utensils or thoroughly wash and sanitise utensils between handling raw and ready-to-eat foods.
  • keep food covered and off the floor during storage.
  • avoid any unnecessary touching of food.

What are the 3 ways water can be contaminated?

Sources of contamination
  • Rocks and soil that naturally contain chemicals like arsenic or radon.
  • Fertilizers, pesticides, or other chemicals applied to land near the water.
  • Manufacturing processes.
  • Leaks from landfills or underground fuel tanks.
  • Concentrated feeding operations (large industrial animal farms)

What are the 3 main ways that food can be contaminated?

There are three ways that food can be contaminated:
  • biological hazards (microorganisms) including bacteria, fungi, yeasts, mould and viruses.
  • chemical hazards. including cleaning chemicals or foods with naturally occurring toxins, such as green potatoes.
  • physical hazards.

Which are the 3 most common sources of chemical contamination?

Sources of chemical food contaminants include:
  • Pesticides.
  • Cleaning agents.
  • Toxins included during various food production stages.

What are the 3 most common contaminants in water?

Some of the most concerning contaminants lurking in your tap water can include:
  • Lead. Lead is a toxic metal that can cause damage to health even at low doses. ...
  • Chlorine. ...
  • Chloramines. ...
  • Mercury. ...
  • VOCs. ...
  • Pharmaceuticals. ...
  • Herbicides. ...
  • Pesticides.

How to avoid contamination?

To prevent this: Wash hands with soap and hot water before and after handling food, and after using the bathroom, changing diapers; or handling pets. Use hot, soapy water and paper towels or clean cloths to wipe up kitchen surfaces or spills. Wash cloths often in the hot cycle of your washing machine.