Which scenario requires handwashing before proceeding?

Handwashing is critical in food safety, particularly to prevent cross-contamination. In the scenario where a person changes from preparing lettuce to preparing tomatoes, it is essential to wash hands before continuing with a different food item. This practice helps to eliminate any residual bacteria or contaminants that may have been present when handling the lettuce, thus ensuring that the tomatoes remain safe for consumption.

When dealing with different food items, especially those that may have varying levels of risk (like raw produce versus cooked foods), it’s important to maintain hygiene standards to protect customer health.

The other scenarios, such as taking a break or checking the temperature of cooked chicken, do not inherently require handwashing unless there is a specific situation that contaminates the hands (like touching unclean surfaces or personal items). Additionally, simply cleaning the workspace does not automatically necessitate handwashing unless hands have come into contact with food or surfaces that could lead to contamination. Therefore, the transition between different food prep tasks directly emphasizes the need for hand hygiene to uphold food safety measures.