Final answer:
The risk of foodborne illness is associated with cross-contamination, poor personal hygiene, and time-temperature abuse. These factors can lead to the presence and spread of harmful microorganisms or toxins, increasing the likelihood of foodborne diseases.
Step-by-step explanation:
The factors associated with the risk of foodborne illness include cross-contamination, poor personal hygiene, and time-temperature abuse. All of these are critical in ensuring the safety of food from the point of production through to consumption. Cross-contamination can occur when bacteria or other microorganisms from raw foods, such as poultry, meat, and eggs, are transferred to ready-to-eat foods. This is often due to the use of the same surfaces or utensils without proper cleaning. Poor personal hygiene, such as not washing hands before handling food, can lead to the spread of viruses like norovirus, which require a very low infectious dose to make someone ill. Lastly, time-temperature abuse happens when food is not kept at the proper temperatures, allowing for the rapid multiplication of bacteria.