Importance of Personal Hygiene in Food Safety

 What is the importance of keeping food clean and safe

FOOD POISONING CAN BE PREVENTED BY PRACTICING GOOD HYGIENE.

Even healthy persons can carry the bacteria that cause food poisoning. If you contact with the meal after touching your nose, mouth, hair, or clothes, you could transfer bacteria from yourself to the food.

It makes commercial sense to maintain decent personal hygiene. Customers prefer to see food-handling employees who are diligent about maintaining hygiene and who handle food properly.

Consider it from the perspective of the consumer while seeing how your coworkers handle food. Would you like to eat there or purchase meals there if you worked there?

Tips for food handlers' personal hygiene

Use these guidelines to prevent food poisoning through excellent personal hygiene:

• Before handling food, properly wash and dry your hands. Throughout the course of the day, do the same.
• Dry your hands with a fresh towel, a paper towel that can be thrown away, or an air dryer.
• Never smoke, chew gum, spit, change a baby's diaper, or consume food in a space where food is handled or stored.
• Never sneeze or cough near food, or in areas where food is being prepared or kept
• Put on hygienic protective clothes, like an apron.
• Keeping extra clothing, personal goods, and other things (including
• tying back or covering long hair keep mobile devices (such as phones) away from areas where food is prepared and stored
• Shorten your fingernails to make them easier to clean, and avoid using nail lacquer because it can contaminate your food.
• Avoid wearing jewelry or limit your jewelry to sleeper earrings and rings with plain bands.
• Apply a wound strip or bandage to all cuts and wounds to completely cover them (brightly colored waterproof bandages are recommended)
• If you have cuts on your hands, cover the wound strip with disposable gloves.
• frequently replace disposable gloves
• If you feel ill and can't manage food, tell your boss.

food handlers: washing your hands

It is less likely that bacteria from your own hands may contaminate food if you wash your hands thoroughly.

Do not neglect to wash the backs of your hands, wrists, spaces in between your fingers, or the area under your fingernails when washing your hands with soap and warm water.

After washing your hands, quickly dry them completely. Always use a clean towel, a paper towel that can be thrown away, or an air dryer to dry your hands. Making sure your hands are thoroughly dry is crucial. Never dry your hands with a tea towel or your clothes.

After, wash your hands:

1. Using the restroom
2. Dealing with raw food
3. Making a nosebleed
4. Managing waste
5. Touching your lips, nose, ears, or other body parts
6. Smoking
7. Each break
8. Dealing with animals

When using disposable gloves, be sure to replace them frequently and wash your hands as you would normally do if you weren't wearing them. Wearing gloves requires first washing and drying your hands.

Health and productivity of food handlers

Employers and employees must take precautions to prevent the spread of illness among individuals working in the sector since food handlers may contaminate food.

When vomiting or having diarrhea, you shouldn't report to work. If your symptoms haven't subsided for 48 hours, don't go back to work. To get guidance if you're unsure, speak with your doctor.

If you have a disease that could be spread through food, stay home from work. These conditions include hepatitis A and E, gastroenteritis (commonly referred to as "gastro"), viral gastroenteritis (norovirus or rotavirus), sore throat with fever, and fever with jaundice.

If you feel unwell, particularly if you have a cold, the flu, sites, or any other eye infections, you must inform your supervisor.

The criteria for food handlers and food enterprises are described by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand.

Knowledge and skills for food handlers

Food handlers need to be aware of how their activities may affect the food's safety.

Food handlers should be aware of:

1. How to find and access information about the workplace
2. Regarding their own food handling procedures
3. How to recognize and address problematic circumstances or practices
4. That fail to uphold the company's commitments regarding food safety
5. Who in the company should be contacted about food safety concerns
6. their obligations in light of the need for health and cleanliness.

People who handle food must have the necessary training and expertise, according to Australian Food Safety Standard 3.2.2 (Food Safety Practices and General Requirements).

Food handlers' education

It is recommended that everyone who works in a food establishment receive training in safe food handling. Start with DoFoodSafely, a free online learning resource.