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Personal Hygiene in Food Businesses

Poor personal hygiene can lead to food poisoning.

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Poor hand washing by food handlers has recently been associated with serious outbreaks of gastro and food poisoning in the community. All food handlers have a responsibility to handle food safely, so follow the tips below to help you keep food safe.

 

Why good personal hygiene is important

People naturally carry food poisoning bacteria in their ears, nose, throat, and on their skin and hands without knowing it.
If you do not have good personal hygiene, food may be contaminated by your body, clothing, and hands. Bacteria in food may make a customer ill.

 

Good personal hygiene also makes good business sense

Customers like to see food handling staff who take hygiene seriously and practice safe food handling. Watch how your colleagues handle food. Would you want to eat food handled by them?

Do

Don't 

  • wash and dry your hands thoroughly
  • keep your nails short and clean
  • keep your hair clean, tied back or always covered
  • always have a clean body and clean clothing
  • wear protective clothing to protect food from contamination
  • keep personal belongings and clothing in a locker or changing room, away from food preparation and storage areas
  • take your apron off before going to the toilet or outside the food preparation area
  • cover all cuts and wounds with a waterproof, brightly coloured bandage and a glove. The bright colour makes it easier to find if it drops in the food and the glove will stop it falling into the food
  • advise your supervisor if you are unwell while at work and stop handling food
  • touch ready-to-eat foods with your bare hands – use tongs or gloves
  • go to work if you are unwell, especially if you have diarrhoea, vomiting, or fever
  • blow on food, cough, sneeze, or spit over food or food preparation surfaces
  • eat or drink over unprotected food or food preparation surfaces
  • smoke near or around food or preparation areas
  • wear artificial nails as they can fall off into the food 
  • wear nail polish, as it can chip off into food. You also won 't be able to see if your nails are clean
  • touch or comb your hair when preparing food
  • wear rings, earrings or body piercings with stones, as they can fall into food
  • touch your face or piercings while preparing or serving food
  • don 't sit on food preparation benches

 

 

Handwashing

When handling food, you must wash your hands regularly and thoroughly.
Hands should be washed in the hand washing sink and not in the dishwater or food preparation sink.

 When to wash your hands

How to wash your hands 

After:

  • going to the toilet
  • every break
  • eating and drinking
  • smoking
  • handling raw food such as meat, chicken, and eggs
  • blowing your nose
  • using a tissue or handkerchief
  • handling rubbish
  • touching your ears, nose, mouth, or other parts of the body
  • handling your mobile, keys or personal items
  • touching animals and people.
  •  use the designated sink provided for just washing hands
  • apply liquid soap and use warm water
  • wash your hands for at least 20 seconds - including between your fingers, under your nails, the back of your hands, thumbs and wrists
  • rinse under warm, running water
  • dry your hands using a paper towel

 

Hand sanitiser cannot be used instead of proper hand washing
Always wash your hands 

Changing Gloves

Gloves can be a great way to prevent contamination of the food you are preparing, but used incorrectly they can contaminate food just as easily as your bare hands. Changing your gloves frequently is one of the best steps for making sure the food you handle and serve is safe.

Always wash and dry your hands before putting on new gloves.

Always change your gloves:

  • between handling ready-to-eat and raw food
  • after taking money or providing change to a customer
  • between different tasks
  • if the gloves tear
  • after taking the rubbish out
  • after sweeping, mopping, and cleaning

Download and display the Department Health hand washing poster in your business.

 

Health Reminder

Do not go to work when you have gastro or food poisoning type symptoms and stay away for at least 48 hours after your symptoms ended.

Common Questions

We always aim to educate and help businesses comply with the Food Act 1984 or the Food Standards Code. However, where this hasn’t worked to address a problem, or there’s a risk to public health, enforcement action can be taken by Council.

Enforcement action can range from warnings and Food Act Orders, up to fines and even prosecution.

Some of the common non compliant issues we see are not having adequate hand washing facilities, having uncovered foods on display, staff members not handling foods safely, staff coming to work with gastro symptoms/food poisoning or not paying a Food Act renewal on time.

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