What should you do if you suspect food is contaminated?

When you suspect that food is contaminated, the appropriate action is to discard it and report it to management. This is crucial because consuming or serving potentially contaminated food can lead to severe health risks, including foodborne illnesses.

Discarding the food removes the risk of it being served or consumed, thus protecting the health of customers and coworkers. Reporting the issue to management allows for a proper investigation and prevents similar situations from occurring in the future. Management can take necessary steps, such as disposing of contaminated stock, re-evaluating food handling procedures, or enhancing staff training to prevent further incidents.

Cooking contaminated food thoroughly is not a reliable solution, as certain toxins produced by bacteria may not be destroyed by heat. Keeping potentially contaminated food, even with the intention of not being noticed, poses a serious risk of endangering others. Sharing questionable food for assessment between coworkers is also unsafe, as it still exposes others to potential health risks even if they don't find it acceptable. Therefore, the most responsible approach is to discard the food and notify management immediately.