Health Department Manager Practice Exam 2025 – Complete Prep Resource

A physical contaminant in food is defined as any foreign object that can inadvertently enter food products and potentially cause harm or injury to consumers. This includes non-food items such as hair, pieces of metal, glass, plastic, and wood. Physical contaminants are typically distinguishable because they are not part of the food itself, and their presence can be immediately harmful or harmful with ingestion.

In contrast, the other choices represent different types of contamination or food additives. Bacteria and viruses fall under biological contaminants, which are living organisms that can cause foodborne illnesses. Flavor enhancers and preservatives, on the other hand, are intentional food additives used to improve taste or prolong shelf life, respectively, and are not considered contaminants as they are meant to be part of the food product. Thus, these do not align with the definition of physical contaminants, which is specifically concerned with unintended and foreign objects in food.