Safe Food Handling
Foods are vulnerable to contamination at various stages within a foodservice establishment. Understanding safe handling practices keeps foods, staff, and guests safe.
The Role of Food Handlers
Foods risk contamination through human error. A minor slip, like touching hair or scratching skin then touching RTE foods, can cause contamination. Even well-meaning food handlers are capable of passing pathogens if they aren’t following the correct procedures. Managers should understand and identify every way contamination might happen, and train staff to prevent it.
Risky Situations
Food handlers risk contamination when they: come to work sick, have wounds, sneeze or cough, have had contact with someone sick, don’t wash hands after the restroom (risking fecal-oral contamination), experience vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice, or are sick without signs of illness. Carriers can spread illness weeks before exhibiting symptoms.
Risky Actions
Food handlers could cause foodborne illness by spreading pathogens from their hands, and should avoid: scratching their scalp, fingering their hair, wiping their nose, rubbing ears, touching pimples or wounds, wearing dirty clothes, coughing or sneezing into hands, and spitting inside the facility.
Personal Hygiene
Managers should implement a personal hygiene program and participate in it. Staff should be trained on hygiene policies regularly and the manager should model the behavior (clean clothes, restrained hair, gloves, etc.) Food safety procedures should be monitored at all times and modified or changed as science changes.
Handwashing
Handwashing is the most important step in preventing pathogens. Managers should set up proper handwashing stations and never allow handwashing in other sinks. Proper handwashing should be part of the hygiene program. The entire process of washing hands should take a minimum of 20 seconds, include warm running water, a rich lather for 15 seconds, a thorough rinse, and a single-use towel or hand dryer. Staff and managers should wash hands every time possible contamination occurs, when changing tasks, and before touching food contact surfaces.
See our Food Handler study guide.
Using Gloves
Gloves must never be used in place of handwashing, but can provide an extra layer of protection after washing and before touching glassware, plates, flatware, etc. Gloves must be worn when touching RTE foods, if staff has false nails, or when a wound has been covered with a finger cot or bandage. Gloves must be approved for foodservice, disposable (single-use), latex alternative if possible (for latex allergies) and should be provided in various sizes. Gloves should be discarded and changed once dirty or torn, after interruptions, and after hours of use.
Personal Hygiene
Proper hygiene protects against spreading pathogens. Your personal hygiene program should include bathing before work, wearing clean clothes, covering facial hair, wearing minimal jewelry (only approved pieces), and clean aprons. Staff should never eat, drink, or smoke while preparing or serving food, working in food prep areas, or areas where things are being washed.
Health Policies and Monitoring Staff
Your personal hygiene plan should also include policies on reporting illness. Staff should sign statements stating they will report when they’re experiencing symptoms to provide managers with written evidence of food safety training in case the regulatory authority asks for proof. Signs should also be posted on the significance of reporting illness to management.
Reporting Illness
If an employee experiences vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat and fever, or an infected weeping wound or boil, they must notify management before coming to work. They may need to work in restricted areas or be excluded from work all together. Staff must notify management when they’ve been diagnosed with: norovirus, hepatitis A, Shigella spp., Shiga toxin-producing E. coli(STEC), Salmonella Typhi, or nontyphoidal Salmonella or if they live with someone who has been diagnosed (except nontyphoidal Salmonella).
Monitoring Staff Health
A manager should watch for signs of the above symptoms in their employees.
Staff Restrictions and Exclusions
Staff can be restricted from working with food if they:
- have an uncovered wound
- have a sore throat with fever (unless they work primarily with high-risk populations; in that case, exclude them from work)
- have persistent sneezing or coughing
Staff should be excluded from work altogether if they:
- experience vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice (one or all)
- have been diagnosed with one of the illnesses listed above (under Reporting Illness)
When staff is diagnosed with one of the illnesses listed above, it should be reported to the local regulatory authority.
Food Allergens
Allergens are naturally occurring food proteins some guests have sensitivities to, and when eaten in high numbers cause an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction is triggered by immune system responses to what your body perceives as a threat, attacking the protein. Managers should be familiar with the most common foods associated with allergic reactions and how to spot them.
Common Symptoms of an Allergic Reaction to Food
Allergic reactions may happen immediately or hours later, and may include: nausea; wheezing or shortness of breath; swelling of face, eyes, hands, feet, etc.; hives or red, bumpy, itchy rashes; vomiting; diarrhea; abdominal pain; and itchy throat. These symptoms can range from mild to serious to severe (such as anaphylaxis, which can lead to death). Call emergency services immediately if someone exhibits these symptoms.
Common Food Allergens
Over 160 different foods can cause allergic reactions, but eight foods make up 90% of reactions reported. These are the Big Eight:
- Milk
- Soy
- Eggs
- Wheat
- Fish (bass, flounder, cod)
- Crustacean shellfish (crab, lobster, shrimp)
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts (walnuts, pecans)
Prevention of Allergic Reactions
Allergic reactions cause up to 200,000 emergency room visits yearly, and 15 million Americans have some kind of food allergy. Every employee in your facility should be aware of allergens and actively work to keep guests safe from all reactions to food sensitivities, from things like gluten intolerance to severe allergies.
Food Labels
Food labels are required by federal law to include any mention of a Big Eight ingredient. Note the common name of the food, the ingredients list, and if the label includes a “contains” statement.
Staff Actions
When serving an allergic guest, servers should: thoroughly describe dishes, identify ingredients, suggest items that don’t contain the allergen, specify the allergen special order to the kitchen staff, and hand deliver the dish to the guest. Kitchen staff should avoid using the allergen ingredient and avoid passing it to other ingredients or surfaces (cross-contact).
Cross-Contact
Cross-contact occurs when allergens are passed to food or food contact surfaces, such as: frying shrimp and using the same oil to fry chicken, using the same tools or utensils to handle different foods, or using the same rack to cool peanut butter cookies as oatmeal cookies. Always use separate utensils, pans, cooking oil, gloves, surfaces, etc. Confirm recipes for the presence of allergens and treat them as you would pathogens. Label foods with allergen warnings.