Food Safety
July / August 2002

Keep food safe: pay attention to hygiene

The hygiene of staff & premises is vital in maintaining food safety and customer confidence.Pic: please insert Wash your hands sign.

Those who work in food preparation should be aware that washing their hands frequently during the day is part of the job. However, it is also very important that highly visible signs are on display to remind staff constantly of this important fact.

Statistics reported within the food industry indicate that 80% of bacterial transfer occurs via people’s hands. This transfer of bacteria can result in illness or even death. Staff involved in food preparation where raw as well as cooked food is being handled should be especially careful, as it is so easy to contaminate ready-to-eat food with bacteria from the raw product.

Correction In the May/June issue the safe temperatures for the storage of hot and cold food should have read as follows:
Chilled product	0-5°C
Chilled storage	0-5°C
Hot product	>60°C
Hot storage	>60°C
Frozen product	<-18°C

For example: A staff member prepares chicken for cooking then slices some ham ready for the sandwich display without washing hands in between. Later in the day, an at-risk customer such as an elderly person or a young child has a ham sandwich. This sandwich will now be contaminated with the salmonella from the chicken. (Yes, every chicken has salmonella in it.) As a consequence, the customer may become very ill or even die. It is as easy as that. And you will be legally liable.

Many people don’t have the time these days to make all of our own meals and therefore rely on food handlers to do their job right. Everyone - from the manufacturer to the transporter, distributor, retailer and food preparer - has a duty of care to ensure that food handling is done hygienically and safely:

Gloves

There is some controversy over whether or not to wear gloves. If they are to be used, the food handlers should be taught how to put them on and how to avoid contaminating them (for example, by picking items off the floor during food preparation). They are still required to wash their hands before putting them on. In fact, it is often necessary to teach food handlers how to wash their hands properly.
The FSANZ food standards are ‘outcome’ based, simply stating that the food handler MUST NOT contaminate the food. This should therefore be done in the best way for each particular food business. So, if you believe that wearing gloves is best, expect your staff to wear them. It’s the same with hair covering – if you think this is the best way to protect food, then insist your staff wear them.
The important thing is that the food is protected.
Food handlers should be aware that protective clothing such as hair nets, gloves and aprons are to protect the food from the food handlers - not as is often believed, for example, that the aprons are to keep clothing clean while preparing food.

Jewellery

It is very difficult to wash hands and wrists effectively while wearing rings, watches and bangles. Staff working with food must realise that all of these items harbour bacteria, dirt, dead skin, and much more. So, jewellery must be kept to a minimum.

Hygiene on the premises

Cleaning of premises must be done often – to make sure that food scraps do not contaminate surfaces and subsequently the food, and that the premises do not attract pests.
To clean premises effectively, the chemicals required are:

• Detergent - to dissolve grease and remove dirt;
• Sanitiser - to kill bacteria. This will reduce the number of bacteria on surfaces to a safe level after the detergent has been rinsed away;
• Handwash - antibacterial is often a good idea;
• The detergent and sanitiser should be AQIS approved to ensure that they are appropriate for use in food premises.

If cleaning is not done correctly, quantities of bacteria may remain on surfaces like cutting boards, work benches or between tiles and may contaminate food next time it comes in contact with that surface.

Pointer for Cleaning

To clean effectively, train your staff to scrape down all of the foreign matter such as bits of food, bone and fat. Wash the area or item with hot water and detergent - cold water will not clean properly. Rinse the detergent, dissolved grease and food particles away with more hot water. Then use the sanitiser to kill the bacteria.
All of the chemicals should be used in the dilution rates and methods as specified by the manufacturers so that they do their jobs effectively. Surface swab kits are available and it’s a good idea to check that cleaning is being carried out effectively by using these ‘say’ once a month.

These simple, common sense procedures can be your only “evidence” of compliance to the laws.

LWTQ Food Safety Consultants are registered Food Safety System Facilitators with the Quality Society of Australasia. For further information ring: 1800 500 160.