The several factors that cause foodborne illness fall into three categories.

1. Time-Temperature Abuse - Food that is at an unsafe temperature can breed dangerous microorganisms.
   
   Microorganism growth in food can be caused by:
   
   
   •   Failure to cool foods properly
     
   •   Failure to hold or store foods at the proper temperatures
     
   •   Failure to cook or reheat foods to safe temperatures
     
   •   Preparation of food a day or more in advance
     
   
   
2. Cross-Contamination - Cross-contamination occurs when microorganisms are moved from one food or surface to another.
   
   Cross-contamination can be caused by:
   
   
   •   The addition of contaminated ingredients to foods
   
   
   •   Contaminated cleaning cloths
   
   
   •   Contaminated hands (ex: touching raw foods, then touching ready-to-eat food)
   
   
   •   Contaminated gloves
   
   
   •   Foods that drip on or touch ready-to-eat foods
   
   
   •   Food contact surfaces that are not sanitized (ex: utensils, cutting boards, equipment)
   
   
   
3. Poor Personal Hygiene - People with poor personal hygiene can contaminate food or food contact surfaces and cause illness.
   
   Food workers can cause food contamination if they:
   
   
   •   Do not properly wash their hands.
   
   
   •   Cough or sneeze on food, or in their hands and don't wash before resuming tasks.
   
   
   •   Touch or scratch sores or cuts and then touch food.
   
   
   
   Personal Hygiene - People are both the cause and the victims of foodborne illness. A good hygiene program is the best defense against a foodborne illness outbreak. Food workers who are trained in and follow hygiene requirements minimize the risk of foodborne illness. Supervisors who strictly enforce hygiene rules protect both workers and the people workers serve.
   
   Food handlers can contaminate food if they:
   
   
   •   Have a foodborne illness.
   
   
   •   Have a gastrointestinal illness.
   
   
   •   Have infected wounds or injuries
   
   
   •   Touch anything that may contaminate their hands.
   
   
   •   Have bad hygiene habits.
   
   
   
   Bad hygiene habits may include:
   
   •   Nose picking
   
   
   •   Touching the face, ear, hair, or any part of the body
   
   
   •   Coughing and sneezing into hands
   
   
   
   Food Handler Attire
   
   Clean, proper attire plays a role in prevention of foodborne illnesses. Dirty clothes can harbor microorganisms and should be cleaned daily or as often as necessary.
   
   Supervisors should make sure food handlers:
   
   •   Wear hair restraints.
   
   
   •   Wear clean clothes each day.
   
   
   •   Use gloves appropriately.
   
   
   •   Remove aprons when leaving food handling areas.
   
   
   •   Remove jewelry (except for plain wedding bands) before preparing or serving food.
   
   
   
   According to the FDA Model Food Code, supervisors must exclude food handlers diagnosed with a foodborne illness from the workplace. In addition, supervisors must notify the local health department if a worker has a foodborne illness. Food handlers must not work with food if they suffer from symptoms of fever, diarrhea, vomiting, sore throat, or jaundice (yellow skins and eyes).