7 min readConcept sheetOften a 5- or 10-mark answer; handwashing steps are asked often

Personal hygiene of food handlers

Food handlers can carry germs on their hands, skin, nose and gut. Health checks, correct handwashing, clean protective clothing and good habits stop them reaching food.

Food handlerAnyone who touches food, food-contact surfaces or utensils

CarrierLooks healthy but sheds germs, e.g. typhoid bacteria

HandwashingRub with soap at least 20 seconds; whole wash about 40-60 seconds

Medical checkAt least once a year, with a doctor-signed record (FSSAI); usually also before joining

Why food handlers matter

A food handler is anyone who handles food, utensils or food-contact surfaces: cooks, helpers, servers and packers. People carry many germs. Staphylococcus aureus lives in the nose and throat and in boils and cuts. Salmonella, typhoid bacteria, hepatitis A virus and worm eggs pass out in faeces and reach food through unwashed hands: the faecal-oral route. A carrier looks healthy but keeps shedding germs, so one careless handler can cause an outbreak in a hostel mess or at a wedding feast. Good personal hygiene has four parts: health, handwashing, protective clothing and habits.

How to wash hands correctly

Use clean running water and soap. Rub with soap for at least 20 seconds; the whole wash takes about 40-60 seconds.

1
Wet hands with clean running water and apply enough soap to cover all surfaces.
2
Rub palm to palm.
3
Rub the back of each hand with the other palm, fingers interlaced.
4
Rub palm to palm with fingers interlaced.
5
Rub the backs of the fingers against the opposite palm, fingers interlocked.
6
Clasp each thumb in the other palm and rub with a turning movement.
7
Rub the fingertips and nails in circles on the opposite palm.
a nail brush helps
8
Rinse well under running water.
9★
Dry with a single-use paper towel or a hand dryer, and use the towel to turn off the tap.
never wipe hands on the apron

★ one-way, controls the pace

When to wash hands

Before starting work and after every break.
After using the toilet.
After handling raw meat, fish, eggs or unwashed vegetables, and before touching cooked or ready-to-eat food.
After touching hair, face, nose or mouth, or after sneezing, coughing or blowing the nose.
After handling waste, cleaning chemicals, money or a phone.
After eating, smoking or chewing.
Before putting on gloves and when changing from one task to another.

Health, clothing and habits

Area	Rules for food handlers
Health checks	Medical examination by a registered doctor at least once a year (and usually before joining); inoculation against the enteric group of diseases, such as typhoid, with the vaccine chosen by the doctor; records kept by the employer
Reporting illness	Report diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, jaundice, sore throat with fever, skin boils, or discharge from the eyes, ears or nose; stay away from food until declared fit
Cuts and wounds	Clean and cover with a brightly coloured (often blue) waterproof dressing and wear a glove over it
Protective clothing	Clean apron or uniform worn only at work; hair fully covered with a cap or hairnet (beard cover if needed); clean closed footwear; disposable gloves for ready-to-eat food, changed often; mask where required
Nails and jewellery	Short, clean nails; no nail polish or false nails; remove rings, bangles, watches and earrings that can fall into food or trap dirt
Habits	No spitting, smoking, chewing paan, gutka or tobacco; no coughing or sneezing over food; no licking fingers or tasting with the stirring spoon; no wiping hands on the apron; bathe daily
Training	Regular hygiene training, e.g. FSSAI's FoSTaC (Food Safety Training and Certification) programme for supervisors and handlers

In kitchens and food businesses

In a hospital diet kitchen or a hostel mess, one sick cook can infect hundreds. The supervisor checks handlers' health at the start of each shift, keeps a sickness log, and places a handwash station with soap and paper towels at the kitchen entry.

Exam angle

2 marks: “Who is a carrier? Why is a carrier dangerous in a food business?” A person who looks healthy but sheds disease germs (e.g. typhoid bacteria); he or she can contaminate food without knowing it and cause an outbreak.

5 marks: “List the steps of correct handwashing and the occasions when a food handler must wash hands.” Wet, soap, rub palms, backs, between fingers, finger backs, thumbs, fingertips, rinse, dry with a single-use towel (about 40-60 seconds); then six or seven occasions.

10 marks: “Discuss the personal hygiene practices to be followed by food handlers.” Define food handler and carrier; health checks and reporting illness; handwashing steps and occasions; protective clothing; nails, jewellery and cuts; habits; training such as FoSTaC; close.

Remember it

Hygiene is H-H-C-H: Health checks, Handwashing, Clothing, Habits. Rub with soap for 20 seconds, about as long as humming 'Happy Birthday' twice.