Although some foods may not be considered hazardous on their own, under the right circumstances they can still be contaminated and, therefore; may still pose a risk. For example, a strawberry may not, on its own, be considered hazardous, however, if water used in irrigation is contaminated, the strawberries may become contaminated when they are sprayed. A food handler’s contaminated hands may also provide a means of contamination. This makes strawberries low risk, but still potentially hazardous. Another example would be dried goods. Pathogens can survive in dried goods, making them potentially hazardous when wet.

All potentially hazardous foods – high and low risk – must be handled with care. Knowing how to handle these foods safely from receiving, storage, preparation, and through to delivery is critical to preventing contamination, and is the basis for safe food handling practices that will be discussed in module 4.