Don't peek in the kitchen

If you're dining out you might not want to know what's going on back there.

Researchers at North Carolina State University set up cameras in commercial kitchens that followed the best industry practices for training their staffs. They found

approximately one cross-contamination event per food handler per hour. In other words, the average kitchen worker committed eight cross-contamination errors, which have the potential to lead to illnesses, in the course of the typical eight-hour shift.

Cross-contamination occurs when pathogens, such as Salmonella, are transferred from a raw or contaminated source to food that is ready to eat. For example, using a knife to cut raw chicken and then using the same knife to slice a sandwich in half. Cross-contamination can also result from direct contact, such as raw meat dripping onto vegetables that are to be used in a salad.

"Each of these errors would have been deemed a violation under U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Code inspection guidelines. But more importantly, cross-contamination has the potential to lead to foodborne illnesses and has in recent outbreaks," said Dr. Ben Chapman, assistant professor and food safety specialist in the department of family and consumer sciences.

Cross-contamination increased and hand-washing decreased at peak hours, the researchers found. So if you plan to eat out, try to do it at, say, 3 a.m.