Personal Hygiene Cleaning and Sanitation

Food Poisoning
Has 3 principal causes Inadequate heat Inadequate cold storage Cross contamination
First two are easily understood by food handlers because they involve sight, touch, smell and experience. Cross contamination is more complex doing its mischief unseen, unfelt and via many routes. Process Equipment / machine can appear clean but harbour many harmful germs Even very experienced employees can harbour many harmful bacteria

Cross contamination

Cross contamination is the process whereby harmful bacteria (germs) are transferred from dirty, contaminated areas such as toilets, waste, outside cloths, pets, pests, raw materials and packing materials to clean areas when food is prepared or processed, stored, transported and served. The transfer can be direct or indirect.

Vehicles of cross contamination

Most common Vehicles of cross contamination are employees hands, work surfaces, utensils, slicing /cutting machines, worker cloths, pests and sinks. Hands and worker cloths move harmful germs around the food preparation / processing area.

Methods directed towards reducing food safety risks in food production, harvesting, processing and distribution operations must start with good sanitation and hygiene practices. The application of a good sanitation and hygiene programme should focus on the employees, environment, facilities, and transportation of fresh foods.

Personal Hygiene
Human beings are involved at all stages of food chain i.e. production, harvesting, packaging, transportation, loading, unloading, handling, processing etc. They are source of contamination. Illnesses associated with foods are primarily those transmitted by the faecaloral route.

Any individual in the agricultural/food processing environment who contacts food or equipment used in contact with food in presents a potential contamination risk Although raw produce can serve as a source of a variety of food borne organisms, such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and parasitic worms, yet one should be gravely concerned about the presence of pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli 0157:H7.

Some microbial pathogens that can be transmitted by food contaminated by infected individuals includes, but is not limited to, the following: Salmonella species, Shigella species, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyrogenes, E. coli, Giardia lamblia, Hepatitis A virus, and many others.

Symptoms associated with infections by these pathogens may include diarrhoea, fever, vomiting, jaundice, and sore throat with fever. An employee suffering from any of these symptoms presents an increased risk of transmitting food borne illness. Unfortunately most of the food companies do not practice regular medical check-up of their employees to prevent such incidences.

Employees: Microbial Hazard

Worker's health and hygiene play a critical role in the controls for minimizing microbial contamination of food. Faecal-oral diseases are the primary microbiological concerns that have been associated with food. Workers during growing, harvesting, sorting, processing, and packing food can spread these diseases.

Employees

Infected food Industry workers/employees have been implicated as the source of several food borne outbreaks of gastroenteritis, involving salads, cold food items, meat products and ice cream. Proper hand washing minimizes the spread of pathogenic bacteria and other microbial hazards, limiting the potential for contamination of produce.

Control of Potential Hazards

Personal Health of Employees An important way to prevent food contamination is to maintain a high standard of personal hygiene and cleanliness. Good hygienic practices by all personnel (incl. Senior Managers) who are involved in the harvesting, packing, and distribution of food are essential in the control of microbial and other biological hazards.

Personal hygiene and Health

Personal hygiene Any individual in the agricultural environment (farm, packing areas, and transportation chain) who contacts food or equipment used in contact with food in agricultural areas presents a potential contamination risk. Even healthy people carry food poisoning bacteria on their bodies.

All personnel, including those indirectly involved in food operations (such as, pest control operators), must comply with established hygienic practices. Infectious diseases, ill health accompanied by diarrhea, open lesions (including boils, sores, or infected wounds), and other ailments are a source of microbial contamination that could contaminate food, water supplies, and other workers.

By touching parts of your body, such as your nose, mouth, hair and including your clothes, you can spread bacteria from your hands to the food. Good personal hygiene is not only essential to prevent the contamination of food; it also makes good business sense. Customers like to see food handling staff who take hygiene seriously and practice safe food handling. Put yourself in their place and watch how your workmates handle food. Would you want to eat at or buy food from your business?

Wash your hands thoroughly Washing your hands thoroughly is a good way to reduce the chance of contaminating food with bacteria. Wash your hands with soap and warm water and dont forget the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails. Thoroughly dry your hands immediately after you wash them. Always dry your hands with a clean towel, disposable paper towel or under an air dryer, not on a tea towel and never on your clothes.

Wash your hands after: Going to the toilet. Handling raw food. Blowing your nose. Handling garbage. Touching your ears, nose, mouth or other parts of the body. Smoking. Every break. Handling animals. If you are wearing disposable gloves change them regularly, the same as you would wash your hands. Wash and dry your hands before putting on gloves.

Illness You must not work when you are suffering from illnesses which are likely to be transmitted through food. These include gastroenteritis (often called gastro), hepatitis A and hepatitis E. You must advise your supervisor if you are feeling unwell. You should not return to work if you are suffering from vomiting or diarrhea. Dont return to work until your symptoms have stopped for 48 hours. If you are unsure, you should contact your doctor for advice.

Food handlers require skills and knowledge

All food handlers need to know how the work they do can affect the safety of the food. Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, require that people who handle food must have the appropriate skills and knowledge for the work they do.

It is suggested that operators train employees to report to the person in charge any information about their health or activities as they relate to diseases that are transmissible through food. Because of the high infectivity (ability to invade and multiply) and virulence (ability to produce severe disease) of Salmonella typhi, Shigella species, E. coli 0157:H7, or hepatitis A virus, any worker diagnosed with an active case of illness caused by any of these pathogens should be restricted from work assignments that involves contact with food or produce handling equipment.

The supervisor, or the person in charge, should consider ways to monitor the health of their employees and take steps to reduce the chance of food borne illness. For example, disposable rubber or similar gloves, leak-proof band aids, or other corrective measures for minor cuts should be provided for use as necessary to the personnel who may have contact with produce

More importantly, the person in charge should ensure that workers with diarrheal disease are not working with food or any equipment used in the harvesting and processing of food.

Workers should be taught to report symptoms caused by illness, infection, or other source that is associated with acute gastrointestinal illness such as: diarrhea, fever, vomiting, jaundice, or sore throat with fever, a lesion containing pus such as a boil or infected wound that is open or draining and that is located on parts of the body that might have contact with food or produce harvesting and processing equipment.

Dont let your food turn nasty!

Food poisoning is a serious health problem. It can cause severe illness and even death. Food poisoning can seriously damage the reputation of a business, damage the reputation of the food industry and damage the jobs of many workers. As a person who handles foodwhether you are a kitchen hand, a food process worker, a shop assistant or a waiteryou have an important responsibility to handle food safely.

Then you can protect other people from getting sick. protect your reputation in the food industry. protect your business. protect your job.

Prevent food poisoning by practicing good personal hygiene: Thoroughly wash and dry your hands before handling food, and wash and dry them again frequently during work. Dry your hands with clean towels, disposable paper towels or under an air dryer. Never smoke, chew gum, spit, change a babys nappy or eat in a food handling or food storage area. Never cough or sneeze over food or where food is prepared or stored. Wear clean protective clothing, like an apron. Keep your spare clothes and other personal items away from where food is stored and prepared. If you have long hair, tie it back or cover it.

Keep your nails short so they are easy to clean, dont wear nail polish which can chip into the food. Avoid wearing jewellery, only wear plain banded rings and sleeper earrings. If you have cuts or wounds, make sure they are completely covered by a waterproof wound strip or a bandage. Use brightly coloured wound strips, so they can be easily seen if they fall off.

Wear disposable gloves over the top of the wound strip if you have wounds on your hands. Change disposable gloves regularly. Dont handle food if you feel unwell, advise your supervisor. Follow the business Food Safety Program. Follow the advice given by the Food Safety Supervisor. Be trained in safe food handling.

Prevention is better

Role and attitude of senior managers is very crucial. Many time senior managers ignore the need of training and re-training of employees. Such short-sighted managers are doing disservice to their companies because poor quality and unhygienic food is eroding their companies' good will in market place.

All employees, including supervisors, full time, part time and seasonal personnel, should be trained in good hygienic practices. Computer can be used to train people either through animation films of video films.

Processors or operators may establish a training programme that would include a system to monitor and evaluate compliance with established sanitary / hygienic practices. The operators should also consider follow-up training sessions to encourage adherence to good hygienic practices. The biggest challenge is to change the mindset of employees and facilitate the learning of new techniques.

By maintaining proper personal hygiene you are contributing to

Protect other people from getting sick Protect your reputation in the food industry Protect your business Protect your job