A commonly overlooked yet important part of safe food handling is personal hygiene. Being clean, healthy and practicing good personal hygiene habits is important for those preparing meals.
When handling food it can be easy to contaminate foods with germs such as bacteria, viruses and parasites. Germs that you pick up on your hands are easily spread to the food that you are preparing and serving to your family.
When handling food you need to wash your hands often and wash each time for at least 15 seconds. Hands should be washed thoroughly:
To make sure that you are washing your hands properly, use soap and water. Wet your hands. Add soap and rub your hands vigorously together for 15 seconds. Rinse hands and dry with a clean towel, then turn off the tap with the towel. It’s the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps free and remove germs. Also remember to keep nails short and clean, wash wrists and remove watches and jewelry when you wash your hands.
Follow the steps in the diagram below to be sure you are washing your hands thoroughly.
Alcohol-based sanitizers and gels (minimum 60% alcohol) are also an option, but should only be used when your hands are not visibly soiled or dirty. This is because they do not remove visible dirt. You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. When using a gel or sanitizer, rub it on all surfaces of your hands until they are dry. The gel doesn't need water to work; the alcohol in the gel kills non-visible germs that cause colds and the flu.
Follow the steps below to properly disinfect your hands with sanitizer gel.
