Allergen Cross-Contact: The Big 9 in a Shared Kitchen

Cross-contact is not cross-contamination

Cross-contact transfers an allergen, not a pathogen, and the amount needed to cause a reaction is far smaller than what most kitchens treat as clean. The Big 9 are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame.

• Use dedicated utensils, cutting boards, and fryers for allergen-free orders where possible.

• Wash hands and change gloves between handling allergen and allergen-free food.

• Clean and sanitize surfaces, and remember that sanitizer does not remove an allergen that was not first washed off.

• Never assume a dish is allergen-free because a visible ingredient was removed.

Big 9 allergen reference and questions

Free 580-question ServSafe Manager practice bank with a per-domain weakness map.