Question

what causes most food - borne illness?
poor ventilation
cross - contamination of ready - to - eat foods
not covering food
time - temperature abuse of potentially hazardous/high - risk foods

Explanation:

Food - borne illness is often caused by improper handling of potentially hazardous/high - risk foods. Time - temperature abuse means that these foods are kept in the temperature danger zone (41°F - 135°F or 5°C - 57°C) for too long. This allows bacteria and other pathogens to grow rapidly. Cross - contamination of ready - to - eat foods can also cause illness, but time - temperature abuse is a more common cause. Poor ventilation and not covering food are less likely to be the main causes of most food - borne illnesses compared to time - temperature abuse.

Answer:

Time - temperature abuse of potentially hazardous/high - risk foods.