IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL HYGIENE FOR ALL FOOD EMPLOYEES.

Personal hygiene is extremely important to prevent food borne illness, thorough hand washing after every Food handling is vital for employee as well as food.

1. Hands are the major source of bacteria transfer or cross food contamination like from meat to bread, etc. Chefs should thoroughly wash hands every time they enter the kitchen area and before touching food, after cleaning utensils, After cleaning meats, after cutting meat, poultry, fish, etc.
    

2. Food Employees already suffering from fever, allergy, illnessThey must not perform food handling or cooking duty on that day, in case of unavoidable circumstances they should inform the head chef or supervisor prior to touching the food. Key symptoms in which all contact with food should be avoided : Fever, continuous sneezing, coughing, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, jaundice, allergy of any kind eyes / skin.
    

3. Cooks should maintain hygiene and wash their finger nails, backs of hands, palms, between the fingers thoroughly. As advised commonly the soap used should be lathered for minimum 20 seconds to completely wash off the Bacteria, virus, other contaminants completely.
    

4. They must wash all vegetables, fruits, salads, thoroughly on entering the wash area of the kitchen with Veg 'n' fru wash to thoroughly wash away any kind of contaminants like pesticide residue, fungicide residue, bacteria, dirt, grime, sand, oils, wax, Sticky substance, etc. and wash their hands before processing the vegetables.
    

5. If they have any kind of cuts or wounds or allergy on their hands / skin, they must treat it with proper medicine and cover it completely so there is no direct contact with the infected part of the skin.
    

6. This is especially important for recipes that involve touching the food directly, like kneading dough or mixing ingredients with your hands.
    

7. Any kind of artificial article like jewelry, watch, hand bands, rings, nail paint, etc. should be taken off while washing vegetables, fruits and while cooking or handling foods or completely covered with gloves, finger cots, etc.
    

8. Finger nails the home of bacteria should be trimmed on daily basis, cleaned every now and then while handling food.
    

9. Work clothing should be well washed and clean. They must wear hats, nets to cover the hair , beard, etc while handling food.
    

10. Cigar, Cigarette, gutkha, pan masala, all kinds of tobacco use should be banned in the kitchen area.
     

11. Tobacco can spread serious viral infections like TMV (tobacco mosaic virus) and contaminate food badly.

These are small commonsense tips to avoid any kind of hygiene related problem ignorantly spread by the food employee.