People are one of the main sources of food contamination. There are germs on the skin, in the nose, in the mouth and in the gut. If you neglect your hygiene, those germs get into the food.
Wash your hands: the most important habit
Always wash with soap and water (hot water if you have it) at a hand-wash basin used only for hands, not at the kitchen sink.
Do it:
- when you start work and when you come back from a break;
- after going to the toilet;
- after touching raw meat, fish or eggs, unwashed vegetables or rubbish;
- after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, or touching your hair or face;
- after smoking, eating or drinking;
- after cleaning or handling money;
- before putting on gloves and between one task and another.
How to do it properly:
- Wet your hands and wrists.
- Apply soap and rub for at least 20 seconds: palms, backs of hands, between the fingers, thumbs and nails.
- Rinse with water.
- Dry with a disposable paper towel and turn the tap off with the paper if it is not a foot-operated or sensor tap.
Alcohol hand gels do not replace washing when hands are dirty or greasy.
Gloves
- Disposable gloves do not replace handwashing. Wash before putting them on.
- Change them between tasks, when they tear or get dirty and after touching raw food.
- A dirty glove contaminates just like a dirty hand.
Clothes, hair and objects
- Wear clean work clothes and shoes, which are not worn outside work.
- Cover your hair completely with a cap or hairnet. If you have a beard, use a beard cover.
- Short, clean nails, with no varnish or false nails.
- Do not wear rings, bracelets, watches or dangling earrings: they collect dirt and can fall into the food. A plain wedding ring is allowed if your employer permits it.
- Do not keep personal items (phone, keys) in the work area.
Behaviour that is not allowed
- Smoking, vaping, eating, drinking or chewing gum where food is handled.
- Tasting food with your finger or with the cooking spoon and putting it back in the dish. Use a clean teaspoon each time.
- Coughing or sneezing over food. Turn away and use your elbow; then wash your hands.
Wounds
- Cover any cut or wound with a waterproof dressing in a bright colour (blue) and a glove on top.
- If the wound is infected (pus, redness), do not handle foods that are eaten without cooking and tell your manager.
When you must not handle food
Tell your manager before you start if you have:
- diarrhoea or vomiting (and, after you recover, for as long as your employer or the health service tells you);
- a fever or a sore throat with fever;
- jaundice (yellow skin or eyes);
- infected wounds, skin infections or discharge from the ear, eye or nose.
Regulation (EC) 852/2004 (Annex II, Chapter VIII) prohibits anyone who may pass on an illness through food from handling it. Your employer must decide what to do in each case. Telling them in time protects your customers and your colleagues.
Key points
- Wash your hands well, with soap and disposable paper towels, and often.
- Gloves do not replace washing.
- Hair covered, nails short, no jewellery.
- If you have diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, jaundice or an infected wound, tell your manager before you start work.