What is a food borne hazard?

• A. A cooking method
• B. A packaging material
• C. A biological, chemical, or physical property that may cause a food to be unsafe for human consumption
• D. A marketing term

Answer: (C)

Foodborne hazards are biological, chemical, or physical factors that can make food unsafe to eat. Biological hazards include pathogens like bacteria, viruses, or parasites; chemical hazards cover toxins and residues such as cleaning agents, pesticides, or allergens; physical hazards are foreign objects like glass, metal, or plastic fragments. These hazards pose a risk to human health if consumed, which is why they’re the focus of food safety controls and HACCP planning. The other options don’t describe a hazard: a cooking method is a way to prepare food, packaging material is a container but not itself a hazard definition, and a marketing term isn’t related to safety.