Which Foods Should Not Be Kept Near Raw Chicken?

No food meant to be eaten raw should ever sit next to raw chicken — salad ingredients, fruit, ready-to-eat cheese or sliced bread can pick up bacteria the moment they touch chicken juices, and since they will not be cooked afterwards, that risk travels straight to the table. This separation matters not only in the fridge but at every stage, from shopping to serving: the bag used to carry raw chicken, a container left on the counter, or even its discarded packaging can spread bacteria to other surfaces. How should it be positioned in the fridge?Raw chicken belongs on the bottom shelf of the fridge, in a covered container. That spot keeps any leakage from the packaging from dripping onto anything below it; kept on a higher shelf, juices can run down onto vegetables or dairy sitting underneath. Eggs, open dairy products or containers with loose-fitting lids should not share that shelf with chicken. A sealed, zip-top bag or a deep, lidded container stops the liquid from spreading even if the original packaging has torn. What distance should be kept on the counter?While prepping, raw chicken should be handled on a separate cutting board from salad items or fruit, ideally at the opposite end of the counter. Reusing the same board for another ingredient without washing it can leave bacteria behind even on a surface that looks clean. The knife, bowl and hands used to cut chicken need a wash in hot, soapy water before touching a salad. Rinsing with water alone is not enough — bacteria cling easily to a greasy surface and cold water does not lift it. Why is mixing it with cooked food risky?Putting freshly cooked chicken back on the plate it sat on raw is a common mistake; cooking kills the bacteria on the meat itself, but the plate keeps carrying them. Cooked chicken always needs a clean plate. The same rule applies to a barbecue: the tray used to carry raw chicken to the grill must be washed before it is used to serve the cooked pieces, since the fire's heat may not reach every bit of bacteria left on its surface, and any liquid pooled there becomes a fresh source of contamination. A marinating dish deserves the same care: marinade that touched raw chicken must be boiled through or discarded entirely before it goes anywhere near the cooked meat as a sauce — a liquid that has been in contact with raw meat should never reach the table without cooking. The same placement rule applies while thawing: the water released as chicken defrosts should stay in a deep dish that will not overflow, and that dish belongs on the bottom shelf of the fridge until the chicken is ready to cook. Pour the liquid from thawing chicken carefully and directly into the sink drain without splashing, then wash the sink and any surfaces it touched with hot, soapy water. Once prep is finished, the counter itself needs wiping down too; a surface that looks clean can still be carrying bacteria, and no food placed there for the next task is exempt from that risk. A separate drawer in a home fridge used only for raw meat and chicken can make things easier; it keeps potential drips away from other shelves and means there is just one drawer to check during weekly cleaning.