Hence, food handler candidates should be briefed about the importance of personal hygiene before they join the food company. The basic requirement of a food handler is getting Anti-typhoid vaccinated and attending a food handling course. The candidate would learn concepts about food handling in the course, for them to practise during handling food. Attending the training also enable them to comply reg 30 of Food Hygiene regulations 2009.
It is a good habit for food handler to have a routine self-check before commencing the daily work. Food handler should make sure that they are fit to work. They should wear appropriate attire to protect food from contaminated. Besides, food handlers are also not allowed to wear accessory, posses’ long fingernails or apply cosmetics while handling food to prevent food contamination.
Food handlers who is sicked, suffering from food poisoning or get hurt at hands are not allowed to handle food. While handling food, they should wear head cover and apron and to use appropriate and clean utensils or wearing glove to handle food and should not touching food with bare hands. This is because they are a lot of contaminants in our body, especially Staphylococcus aureus which existed on our hair, ears, nose, mouth and hands.
While handling food, food handler also must implement hygiene practices, such as washing hands. Food handlers should wash hands after visiting toilets, touching face, handling raw foods, dispose waste, cleaning equipment or facility and before resume to work. Do not smoke, coughing directly on the food, taste food with fingers, eating, spitting, digging nose, scratching head etc while preparing the food because these actions would cause cross contamination easily.
Poor personal hygiene is one of the reasons that food is contaminated, causing food poisoning. This incident (which caused by poor personal hygiene) could be avoided when every food handler builds a habit of maintaining good personal hygiene. Everybody can do it!
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