viruses, and parasites.Personal hygiene man-
agement is essential to control these hazards.
An effective management program includes
proper hand washing, personal cleanliness,
control of personal contact with food and
food surfaces, proper food temperature
maintenance (minimal exposure to the dan-
ger zone), and control ofcustomer contami-
nation. Suggestions for protection during
prepared food storage and serving include:
(1) use of packaging, (2) salad bar food
guards, (3) appropriate utensils for dispens-
ing, (4) separation of freshly prepared and
other product, and employee monitoring of
self-serve stations.
What About the Use of Gloves?
The major contribution of gloves appears
to lie in the perception of a safer food and
reduced consumer anxiety.Real protection
of the food chain through the use of gloves
is controversial and appears to be more elu-
sive and dependent on numerous factors
(Michaels, 2001) such as frequency of
replacement and overall hygienic practices.
Sanitary procedures for food preparation..............................................
The wholesomeness of prepared food can
and should be safeguarded through sanitary
practices in preparation and storage.Food
contaminated with poisonous substances
and certain microorganisms can cause food
poisoning.Three sanitary procedures can
help reduce contamination:
1 .Wash food. Processed foods do not
necessarily require washing;however,
all fruits and vegetables to be eaten
raw and cooked should be washed.
Dried fruits and raisins should be
washed, as should raw poultry, fish,
and variety meats. Washing poultrywill reduce contamination of the body
cavity by Salmonellaand other micro-
organisms. Fruits, vegetables, and
meats should be washed with cold to
lukewarm running water to remove
dirt. Washed foods should also be
drained.If these items are not cooked
immediately, they should be refriger-
ated until the time for cooking. If
insect infestation is suspected, fresh
foods should be soaked in salted water
for 20 minutes;any insects will rise to
the top of the water.
2. Protect food from contamination.Pro-
tection from contamination of all food
with poisonous substances and bacteria
that cause foodborne illness is part of a
sanitation program. Cleaning com-
pounds, polishes,insect powders, and
other compounds used in a food-
service operation can get into food
inadvertently.To prevent contamina-
tion, all chemicals should be stored
separately from food and never in the
food preparation area or other loca-
tions where food is stored and handled.
3 .Thoroughly heat questionable foods.
All foods that may be expected to har-
bor illness-producing microorganisms-
raw meat, poultry, and any foods
that may have been re-contaminated
after processing-should be thoroughly
heated when feasible. Heating to
77 °C is necessary to destroy non-
spore-forming bacteria, such as staphy-
lococci, streptococci, and salmonellae.
Time-temperature exposure for destru-
ction of spore-forming bacteria depends
on the genus and species.Sanitation principles..............................................................................
The foodservice operator has an arsenal
of cleaning and sanitizing procedures and