Which aspect of food safety focuses on preventing contamination and ensuring cleanliness?

Sanitation is the aspect of food safety that concentrates on preventing contamination and ensuring cleanliness in food preparation and handling. It involves practices that reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses by maintaining hygienic conditions in kitchens and food processing areas. Proper sanitation includes regular cleaning and sanitizing surfaces, utensils, and equipment, as well as proper personal hygiene among food handlers.

In contrast, nutrition focuses on the dietary value and health aspects of food, cooking methods refer to the techniques used to prepare food, and food labeling provides information about the contents, nutritional value, and safety of food products. While those elements are crucial in the broader context of food safety and consumer education, they do not specifically address the prevention of contamination and cleanliness in the same targeted way that sanitation does.