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 wash your hands

What are the risks from food handlers?

Potential hazards:

  • Bacterial infection - from hands, hair, nose and mouth eg Staph aureus
  • cross contamination - eg Salmonella and Campylobacter from unwashed hands touching raw and then cooked foods
  • carriers - healthy or convalescent, those who harbour a specific infectious agent that can be passed to others
  • physical contamination - hair, jewellry, fingernails
  • chemical contamination - strong perfume or aftershave, scented soap

About 15% of adults carry Staphylococcus aureus on their skin and about 40% in their nose and throat.

Cross-contamination of food can be of bacterial nature - preparation of raw foods followed by handling of ready to eat products without hand washing in between. It can also apply to allergens.

A carrier is someone harbouring an infectious agent. They may have symptoms of the disease or be apparently healthy, but still risk passing the disease to others through poor hygiene.

Use of hairnets or hats which cover all the hair, preventing the risk of it falling into products is good practice. As is not allowing jewellry to be worn by food handlers. There is an additional risk of jewellry catching in or on machinery.

Strong perfumes, perfumed soap and aftershaves could taint food products if they are used by food handlers.

  

Personal Hygiene

Food handlers personal hygiene

What the law says

Personal hygiene is covered in EC 852/2004 annex II chapter VIII.

"Every person working in a food handling area is to maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and is to wear suitable, clean and, where necessary, protective clothing."

You, the Food Business Operator (FBO)are responsible for ensuring this happens.

"No person suffering from, or being a carrier of a disease likely to be transmitted through food or afflicted with..infections, sores or diarrhoea is permitted to handle food or enter a food handling area in any capacity, if there is any likelihood of direct or indirect contamination. Any person so affected and employed in a food business and who is likely to come into contact with food is to report immediately the illness or symptoms and, if possible the cause to the FBO."

The FBO must decide if the food handler can safely handle food without contaminating it.

Hand Hygiene

Effective handwashing is essential in preventing cross contamination and to reduce the numbers of bacteria on skin.

For some operations, gloves may be necessary or desirable, but the risk of food contamination by bits of glove should be considered and hand and/or glove sanitization will still be required.

In food preparation premises there is a requirement for hot and cold water and adequate hand washing and drying facilities to be provided.(EC 852/2004)

The premises regulations were covered in previous issues of Food Solutions.

The full text of the regulations and articles are available to members on the website.

The Annual Guide to the regulations covers premises, equipment and personal hygeine amongst other subjects.

Hand washing vs sanitisers

Where food preparation does not occur eg. a stall selling cakes or pre-packed foods, the food business operator may consider the use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers as an alternative to making handwashing facilities available.

Evidence, mainly from America has shown these to be effective in some circumstances.

  • Sufficient product should be used to keep hands wet for 30 seconds
  • to be effective the product should contain at least 60% alcohol
  • it should be approved for food use (standard EN1276 in Europe)

Food proteins or fatty deposits on the hands can reduce the sanitizing effect.

In the absence of soap and water, sanitiser gels could have a place in maintaining good food hygiene.