Discuss the personal hygiene practices to be followed by food handlers.
How to lay out the answer. Follow the frame, then write it in your own words.
1 · Open in two lines. A food handler is anyone who touches food or food-contact surfaces. Handlers can carry germs, so their hygiene is a key control in every food business.
2 · Why it matters. Staphylococcus aureus in the nose and boils; Salmonella, typhoid and hepatitis A by the faecal-oral route; carriers look healthy.
3 · Health checks.
Medical check before joining and at least once a year.
Report diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, jaundice or boils; stay away from food until fit.
Cover cuts with a coloured waterproof dressing and a glove.
4 · Handwashing. [Draw six small hand sketches: palms, backs, between fingers, finger backs, thumbs, fingertips] Rub with soap for at least 20 seconds; list when to wash.
5 · Protective clothing. Clean apron, cap or hairnet, closed footwear, gloves; no jewellery; short nails, no polish.
6 · Habits and training. No spitting, smoking, chewing tobacco or coughing over food; regular training such as FSSAI's FoSTaC.
7 · Application in a kitchen. In a hospital kitchen, health checks at the start of each shift and a handwash station at the door protect patients with low immunity.
8 · Close in one line. Clean, healthy, trained handlers are the first line of food safety.
Scoring tip: Write the handwashing steps as a numbered list with small hand sketches, then group the rest under health, clothing and habits.
