Final answer:
True, food that is contaminated can look, smell, and taste like safe food, making good food safety practices essential to prevent foodborne diseases.
Step-by-step explanation:
The assertion that food contaminated with harmful bacteria or chemicals often looks, smells, and tastes like safe food is true. Frequently, foodborne disease is not due to the consumption of food that has visibly gone bad, but rather due to food that has been contaminated through improper handling, preparation, or storage. Failure of temperature control, poor hygiene, and cross-contamination are significant contributors to foodborne illnesses. Even foods perceived as low-risk like peanut butter and vegetables can be sources of contamination, as evident from outbreaks of Salmonella.
To prevent foodborne disease, it’s essential to follow good food safety practices. This includes handwashing, keeping raw and cooked foods separate, thoroughly cleaning utensils, and maintaining the right temperatures for cooking and refrigerating foods. The taste, smell, and appearance of food are not reliable indicators of safety, thus emphasizing the need for diligent food safety measures both in restaurants and at home.