which of the following is an example of a bad food hygiene practice that could lead to cross-contamination?

A bad food hygiene practice that could lead to cross-contamination is using the same cutting board and knife for raw meat and then for ready‑to‑eat foods (like salad) without properly washing and sanitizing them in between.

What cross-contamination means

• Cross-contamination is when harmful bacteria are transferred from one food (often raw meat, poultry, seafood, or unwashed produce) to another food that is ready to eat.

• This can happen directly (foods touching or dripping on each other) or indirectly via hands, utensils, equipment, or work surfaces.

Typical bad hygiene examples

Common bad practices that can cause cross-contamination include:

• Cutting raw chicken on a board and then slicing lettuce on the same board without sanitizing.

• Using the same tongs or spatula for raw and cooked foods.

• Storing raw meat above cooked or ready‑to‑eat food in the fridge, allowing juices to drip down.

• Not washing hands properly after handling raw meat and then touching ready‑to‑eat food.

Why this is “bad” practice

• Raw foods can carry bacteria such as Salmonella , Campylobacter , E. coli , and others that can cause foodborne illness if transferred to ready‑to‑eat foods.

• Ready‑to‑eat foods are not cooked again, so any bacteria transferred onto them will not be killed before eating.

Brief forum-style takeaway

In food safety quizzes and forum discussions, the “bad” option is usually the one where someone uses the same board/knife/utensils for raw meat and ready‑to‑eat food without washing and sanitizing them first, because that is a textbook cross-contamination risk.

TL;DR:
Using the same cutting board or utensils for raw meat and then for ready‑to‑eat food without proper cleaning and sanitizing is a clear example of bad food hygiene that can lead to cross-contamination.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.