Everyone has bacteria on and inside their bodies: on your, skin, hands, underneath fingernails, in your hair, ears, nose and throat and other body areas.

Most of the population carry food poisoning bacteria (Staphylococcus Aureus, and E. coli) in their ears, nose, and throat and on their hands.

As a food handler you must be careful not to contaminate food with these bacteria.

That’s why we propose some best practice rules to avoid as much as possible a cross contamination:

Rule # 1: Wash your hands

Your hands come into contact with food all the time. Wash your hands thoroughly before and during work to keep the number of bacteria down.

Rule # 2: Clothing

The uniform that you wear in the food industry is designed to protect food from your body and will depend on the kind of food that you handle. Your clothing should not contaminate food or a food contact surface.

Protective clothing includes: overalls; aprons; uniforms; protective coats; hair nets/hats; and disposable food handling gloves.

Rule # 3: Clean as you go

There are many reasons why continuous cleaning is important in food handling areas:

·         Customer satisfaction

·         Prevents food poisoning

·         Prevents disease spreading

·         Helps keep equipment well maintained

·         Creates safe working conditions

REMEMBER “Cleaning should always be seen as a preventative measure, not as an afterthought so you should ‘clean as you go’.

Rule # 4: Pests Control

Pests spread disease through bacteria and droppings. They can cause food poisoning and damage equipment and premises. It is vital that pests are kept out of food preparation and handling areas.

The most common pests that cause a threat to food areas are flies, cockroaches, ants, rats, mice and weevils.

Rule # 5: Garbage

Handling and disposing of garbage correctly is vital in any food premises to minimise the risk of cross contamination, odour and pests. Like most cleaning tasks, managing the rubbish is just common sense.