Which seafood category is typically contaminated due to infected food handlers rather than environmental contamination?

• A. Finfish and crustaceans
• B. Molluscan shellfish
• C. Seaweed
• D. Algae

Answer: (A)

Contamination in seafood comes from two main routes: environmental exposure and handling-related contamination. The category that fits the idea of being contaminated mainly from infected food handlers is finfish and crustaceans. These products undergo substantial handling after harvest—during catching, cleaning, filleting, packaging, and transport. If a worker who is ill or a carrier touches them, pathogens can be transferred directly to the flesh, making handling a key contamination route for these groups.

Molluscan shellfish, by contrast, are especially vulnerable to environmental contamination because they filter large volumes of water and accumulate microbes from their surroundings. Their risk is closely tied to water quality and sewage contamination rather than to direct contamination from infected handlers.

Seaweed and algae are not typically described as being primarily contaminated via infected handlers; their risk patterns relate more to cultivation conditions and processing environments than to direct human-carrier transmission.