To prevent illness from parasites, foods must be:

To ensure safety from parasitic infections, sourcing food from approved suppliers is crucial. Approved sources are meant to adhere to strict safety and quality standards, including proper handling and processing that mitigate the risk of contamination from parasites. When food is procured from reliable and regulated sources, there is a significantly reduced likelihood of encountering untreated or improperly handled products that could carry parasites.

While cooking food to the customer's liking, inspecting for visible parasites, and thoroughly washing can all play a part in reducing the risk, they are not as comprehensive or reliable as ensuring that foods come from approved sources. Cooking, for instance, may not always reach temperatures high enough to kill all parasites, and relying on visual inspection could easily miss tiny or concealed parasites. Likewise, washing might not eliminate all parasitic threats, particularly if the food is already contaminated before washing. Thus, sourcing from approved suppliers establishes a foundational level of safety that helps prevent parasitic illnesses effectively.