Staphylococcus aureus is commonly carried by humans and transferred to food through:
a.Freezing raw meat too slowly, which drives the bacteria deep into the cut
b.Bare-hand contact by carriers who touch ready-to-eat food
c.Vinegar-based dressings, whose acidity feeds the bacteria
d.Vegetables that were undercooked and then never rinsed in the prep sink
Explanation
Staphylococcus aureus lives in the nose, mouth, skin, and infected cuts of many healthy people and reaches ready-to-eat food when a carrier touches it with bare hands; the toxin it then forms is heat-stable and survives cooking. Controls are handwashing, no bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food, and keeping food out of the 41°F–135°F danger zone. Freezing rate, dressing acidity, and undercooked vegetables are not routes by which a human carrier transfers this organism.
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