People are one of the main sources of food contamination. On the skin, in the nose, in the mouth and in the gut live micro-organisms that, if they pass into food, can make customers ill. This lesson explains the habits that prevent it. The legal basis is Annex II, Chapter VIII, of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004.
Washing your hands: the most important habit
Wash your hands at the hand-wash basin, never at the sink where food or dishes are washed.
When to wash:
- when you start work and when you return from a break;
- after going to the toilet;
- after handling raw food, rubbish or dirty packaging;
- after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing into your hand, or touching your hair or face;
- after eating, drinking or smoking;
- after cleaning, after handling money and before putting on gloves;
- between different tasks, especially when moving from raw food to cooked or ready-to-eat food.
How to wash:
- Wet your hands and wrists with running water.
- Apply liquid soap and rub carefully: palms, backs of hands, between the fingers, thumbs and nails.
- Rinse well.
- Dry with a disposable paper towel and, if the tap is not foot-operated or sensor-operated, turn it off with the paper.
- Where the establishment provides for it, apply a hand sanitiser. The Code of Good Practice for Catering notes that only washing followed by disinfection reduces the number of micro-organisms well.
Gloves
Disposable gloves do not replace handwashing: wash your hands before putting them on. Change them between tasks, when they tear or get dirty and after touching raw food. A dirty glove contaminates as much as a dirty hand.
Uniform, hair and objects
- Clean uniform and apron, of a light colour, put on in the changing room and not worn outside work.
- A cap or hat that covers all the hair.
- Closed, non-slip footwear.
- Short, clean nails, with no varnish or false nails.
- No rings, bracelets, watches or dangling earrings: they collect dirt and can fall into the food.
- Mobile phone, keys and other personal items stay out of the work area.
What you must not do
- Smoke, eat, drink or chew gum where food is handled.
- Taste with your fingers or with the spoon you stir the food with. Use a clean spoon each time.
- Cough or sneeze over food.
- Moisten your fingers with saliva to open bags or pick up paper.
Wounds and cuts
Cover cuts and burns with a coloured plaster (blue, for example), because if it ends up in the food it is easy to see, and wear a glove or finger cover over it. An infected wound, with pus or redness, requires telling the manager.
When you should not work with food
The law prohibits anyone who suffers from or carries a disease that can be passed on through food, or who has, for example, infected wounds, skin infections or diarrhoea, from handling food if there is a risk of contamination. Anyone in this situation must tell the manager immediately, before starting work. Signs to report:
- diarrhoea or vomiting;
- fever or sore throat with fever;
- jaundice (yellowish skin or eyes);
- infected wounds, or discharge from the ear, eye or nose.
When you can return to work is a decision for the employer, with the support of the doctor or the health authority. Telling someone in time protects customers and colleagues.
Key points
- Wash your hands at the hand-wash basin, with soap and disposable paper.
- Gloves do not replace washing.
- Hair covered, nails short, no jewellery.
- Ill or with an infected wound: tell your manager before you start work.