Ace the CPFM Challenge 2026 – Whisk Your Way to Food Safety Mastery!

Food-to-food cross-contamination occurs when pathogens or harmful substances are transferred from one food item to another, which can lead to foodborne illness. The correct answer illustrates this concept by highlighting a situation where raw meats, which may harbor bacteria, leak their juices onto vegetables. This direct contact between the raw meat and the vegetables facilitates the transfer of potentially dangerous microorganisms, thereby resulting in contamination of the vegetables.

The other options point to different types of contamination I or unsafe food handling practices but do not specifically describe food-to-food cross-contamination. For example, using the same utensil for different types of food can lead to cross-contamination, but it does not exemplify the direct interaction between two food items. Transferring germs from hand to food pertains to hand-to-food contamination rather than food-to-food interactions. Lastly, using sanitized surfaces for raw food only addresses sanitation practices but does not connect to the transfer of pathogens between food products.