Recontamination is the contamination of a food after it has already been made safe, typically after heat processing or another effective sterilising step, usually because of poor storage or handling. A classic example is cooked meat sliced on a dirty board, or canned food compromised by a damaged seam, where microbes or foreign matter reach a product whose own defences have been removed by processing. Because the food may look and smell normal, recontamination is insidious: there is no further kill step before eating. Prevention rests on hygienic handling of processed foods, intact protective packaging, correct storage temperatures, and strict separation of raw and cooked products in kitchens and factories. Every food safety system treats post-process contamination as a critical failure.