Cross contamination can occur in storage, preparation and serving. Here are some tips to help prevent the problem occurring:

• gluten free foods must never be prepared on a wheat floured surface or in a floury atmosphere
• wash down surfaces before preparing gluten free food
• wash hands before handling gluten free food (especially after other food preparation)
• use separate utensils, for example, a separate toaster for gluten free bread; separate bread boards; separate containers for butter, margarine, chutney, pickle, jam etc, as knives can transfer crumbs from regular bread
• cook and serve gluten free foods in separate dishes
• do not deep fry gluten free foods in oil which has been used for foods that contain gluten such as batters or breadcrumb coatings.

For more detailed information about preventing cross contamination take our online catering training course.