In addition to direct ingestion, what mechanism creates a genuine concern for contamination when preparing garden food?
Snails crawling across cutting boards or utensils before cooking
The risk associated with garden mollusks extends beyond eating the mollusk itself or consuming unwashed produce. A significant mechanism for potential transmission is cross-contamination occurring during food preparation, particularly in outdoor settings or with minimally cleaned surfaces. If snails, which carry pathogens and parasite larvae in their mucus, crawl across preparation surfaces like cutting boards or utensils before the final product is cooked or consumed raw, they can transfer those contaminants. Therefore, maintaining a rigorous cleaning ritual for all preparation surfaces that come into contact with potentially exposed garden items is recommended as a preventative measure.
