Personal hygiene and food handling practices

Personal Hygiene

Regular Hand Washing: This should always be done before and after handling food, after using the toilet, handling waste or touching pets. Hands should be washed with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds.
Avoid Touching Face and Hair: Touching faces and hair can transfer harmful bacteria onto hands, which can then be transferred to food.
Proper Use of Gloves: Gloves are not a substitute for hand washing, and hands should still be washed often even if gloves are used. Gloves themselves should be changed regularly and immediately after handling raw food or rubbish to prevent cross-contamination.
Reporting Illnesses: Any symptoms of food poisoning, gastrointestinal illness, or infectious diseases must be reported to superiors immediately to prevent the spread of illness to customers.
Proper Covering of Cuts or Wounds: Any cuts or wounds on hands should be properly covered with a waterproof, bright-coloured bandage.

Clean Uniforms and Aprons: Uniforms and aprons provide a barrier between clothing (which can harbour bacteria) and food. They should be changed daily, or more often if they become dirty or wet.
Hair Restraint: Hair should be tied back and covered with a hairnet or chef’s hat to prevent hair from falling into food.
No Jewellery: Rings, watches, earrings, and other jewellery can harbour bacteria and should not be worn during food preparation.

Separate Preparation Areas: Always set up separate areas for preparing raw and ready-to-eat foods to prevent cross-contamination.
Using Separate Cutting Boards and Utensils: Using different boards and utensils for raw and ready-to-eat foods also helps to prevent bacteria from raw foods contaminating ready-to-eat foods.

Proper Cooking: To kill bacteria, food must be cooked to the correct temperature.
Safe Holding Temperatures: Hold hot foods above 63°C and cold foods below 5°C. This will slow the growth of bacteria.

Regular Cleaning: Clean food preparation areas and equipment regularly to remove food residue and prevent the growth of bacteria.
Sanitizing: After cleaning, equipment and surfaces should be sanitized – this kills bacteria left behind after cleaning.
Safe Waste Disposal: Dispose of food waste safely and clean bins regularly to prevent attracting pests and causing foul odors.

Label and Date Food: Always label food with the date it was prepared or opened. This should be followed strictly to avoid using expired ingredients.
Raw Food Storage: Store raw foods below ready-to-eat foods in the fridge to prevent liquids from raw food from dripping onto other foods.