A food worker puts on a clean pair of gloves before cleaning and sanitizing his knife and cutting board. He then chops ingredients for a salad. What food hazard is most likely to contaminate the salad?

In the scenario described, the food hazard most likely to contaminate the salad is "biological contamination," specifically from the food worker. While the worker put on clean gloves before cleaning and sanitizing his knife and cutting board, the potential for contamination still exists through improper glove use. Biological hazards include pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi that can be transferred to food if a food handler does not maintain proper hygiene or if the gloves come into contact with contaminants.

Factors that could contribute to this biological hazard include:

1. Glove Integrity: If the gloves are punctured or torn, pathogens from the worker's hands can contaminate the food.
2. Cross-Contamination: If the worker touches raw ingredients or surfaces that have not been properly sanitized after handling raw food and then touches the salad ingredients, contamination can occur.
3. Hand Hygiene: If the worker did not wash his hands properly before putting on gloves, this could lead to contamination.

To mitigate this risk, food workers should ensure hands are thoroughly washed before gloving, avoid touching non-food surfaces with gloved hands, and regularly change gloves when switching tasks or handling different types of food.