- Rules such as “no smoking” should be
followed, and other precautions related
to potential contamination should be
taken.
Employers should emphasize hygienic
practices of employees as follows: - Employees should be provided training
in food handling and personal hygiene. - A regular inspection of employees and
their work habits should be conducted.
Violations of practices should be han-
dled as disciplinary violations. - Incentives for superior hygiene and san-
itary practices should be provided.
Food handlers should be responsible for
their own health and personal cleanliness.
Employers should be responsible for making
certain that the public is protected from
unsanitary practices that could cause public
illness. Personal hygiene is a basic step that
should be taken to ensure the production of
wholesome food.
Sanitary food handling............................................................................
A protective sanitation barrier between
food and the sources of contamination
should be provided during food handling.
Barriers include hairnets, disposable gloves,
mouth guards, sneeze guards, and food
packaging and containers.
Role of Employees
Food processing and foodservice firms
should protect their employees and con-
sumers from workers with diseases or other
microorganisms of public health concern
that can affect the wholesomeness or sani-
tary quality of food. This precaution is
important to maintain a good image and
sound operating practices consistent with
regulatory organizations. In most communi-
ties, local health codes prohibit employees
having communicable diseases or those who
are carriers of such diseases from handling
foods or participating in activities that may
result in contamination of food or food con-
tact surfaces. Responsible employers should
exercise caution in selecting employees by
screening unhealthy individuals. Although
some areas no longer require health cards
because of the expense involved, many local
health departments require all employees
who handle food to be examined by a physi-
cian who will issue a health card only to
healthy individuals. Selection of employees
should be predicated upon these facts:- Absence of communicable diseases
should be verified through a county
health card or a physician’s report. - Applicants should not exhibit evidence
of a sanitary hazard, such as open sores
or presence of excessive skin infections
or acne. - Applicants who display evidence of res-
piratory problems should not be hired
to handle food or to work in food pro-
cessing or food preparation areas. - Applicants should be clean and neatly
groomed and should wear clothing free
of unpleasant odor. - Applicants should successfully com-
plete a sanitation course and examina-
tion such as that provided by the
National Restaurant Association.
Required Personal Hygiene
Food organizations should establish per-
sonal hygiene rules that are clearly defined
and uniformly and rigidly enforced. These
regulations should be documented, posted,
and/or clearly spelled out in booklets. Policy
should address personal cleanliness, working
attire, acceptable food handling practices,
and the use of tobacco and other prohibited
practices.