How long should dishes be sanitized using chlorine?

Sanitizing dishes using chlorine requires a specific contact time to effectively kill harmful microorganisms. The correct answer indicates that dishes should be sanitized for 30 seconds to ensure proper disinfecting. This duration is based on food safety standards that specify the effective contact time needed to achieve a significant reduction in pathogens when using chlorine as a sanitizer.

A contact time of 30 seconds with the appropriate concentration of chlorine ensures that the sanitizer can penetrate and act on the surfaces of the dishes, contributing to food safety. If the contact time is shorter than 30 seconds, it may not provide sufficient sanitization, which can compromise food safety and public health. Therefore, adhering to this time frame is critical in food handling practices.

Other options, while still relatively close, do not meet the established guidelines for chlorine sanitization and would therefore not offer the same level of assurance against foodborne illnesses.