Suffolk County Limited Food Manager's Practice Test

Viruses can indeed be spread due to poor hygiene practices by food workers. When food workers do not wash their hands properly after using the restroom or handling raw food, they can contaminate the food they handle. This is especially significant for viruses such as Norovirus and Hepatitis A, which are commonly transmitted through fecal-oral routes. If an infected person prepares food without maintaining good hygiene, the virus can easily be transmitted to others who consume the contaminated food.

In contrast to this correct answer, other choices highlight misconceptions. For example, viruses are not typically spread through well-cooked foods, as cooking generally destroys many pathogens, including viruses. Furthermore, viruses can indeed be transmitted through human contact, which is a primary means of transmission in foodborne illness outbreaks. Lastly, while fresh vegetables can be sources of contamination due to contact with contaminated water or soil, they are not commonly recognized as the originating source of viral infections compared to the impact of practices by food workers.