Food hygiene is the set of conditions and practices that keep food safe from contamination and spoilage during handling, storage, preparation, and serving. It spans personal hygiene of food handlers, clean and well-maintained premises and equipment, separation of raw and ready-to-eat foods, correct cooking and reheating temperatures, rapid chilling, pest control, and safe waste disposal. The goal is to prevent food-borne illness by denying pathogens the chance to reach food, survive cooking, or multiply to dangerous levels. Most countries enforce hygiene through food safety legislation, inspections, and rating schemes displayed to the public. For businesses, good hygiene is both a legal duty and commercial common sense — a single outbreak can destroy customer trust overnight.