Personal Hygiene: Kitchen Hygiene Practices

Every Food Handler must know the basic 'Do's and  'Don't's in the kitchen and the proper responsibilities and behaviour that should be carried out. Unhygienic practices or dirty habits that are practiced during handling of food could harm consumers and raise the degree of contamination of the food.


1.  ALWAYS wash your hands before entering the kitchen premises

• Hands should also be washed after using the washroom
• After Touching raw food
• After touching and handling of waste materials

Hand Washing by Chicago Tribune
 @http://articles.chicagotribune.com

Hands should be washed thoroughly with soap and water for at least a minimum of 30 seconds using the proper 8 steps washing of hands technique.

The 8 steps are:

1. Palm to Palm
2. Between your fingers
3. The back of hands
4 .Base of your thumbs
5. The back of your fingers
6. Fingernails
7. Wrist
8. Rinse with water and wipe dry

WHY?????
Germs Such as E.Coli and norovirus can not only bring harm to our body such as diarrhea and furthermore illnesses such as adenovirus and hand-foot mouth disease but all these types of germs can get onto our hands after we use the washroom or even after handling raw food.These germs that are undetectable through our naked eye can cause contamination in various ways due to the result of not washing your hands.

2. NO eating while working in the kitchen



teeth biting by yohan Veqez @https://www.flickr.com/photos/zeeyolqpictures/13263853213/in/photolist-md5Hsn-pXr3pD-quQrpg-h1uKUH-5whixS-95pV2-8Vbzep-efNGLX-6Rwj74-.

With the exception of tasting food when nessasary food should not be consumed while working in the kitchen as this can increase the risk of contamination as well as personal hygiene reasons.


3. NO spitting in the kitchen

No spittinh image by Travis Wise @https://www.flickr.com/photos/photographingtravis/

Spitting in the kitchen is a very serious issue and unhygienic Practice that should never be carried out in the kitchen as this could cause servere contamination through the food or even the utensils used when handling the food.

4. NO nose picking should be practiced in the kitchen


Nose Pick by Davoud D @https://www.flickr.com/photos/sony_boy/2380511475/

Nose picking should not occur in the kitchen as this will cause contamination to the food and utensils and also for personal hygienic reasons. (Any Discharge from the body is strictly for bided when handling food) .Nose picking will introduce Staphylococcus Aureus into food which will lead to food hazards.

5. Do NOT scratch head or any other parts of the body such as ears.



Scratching of body parts such as the head could cause hair or other organisms to fall and could damage the food by causing contamination which would lead to food poisoning. Same applies for scratching of ears or eyes which may cause discharges and germs to come into contact with the food or utensils which can cause contaminations to occur. IF this is really necessary like having to adjust your hair ect. be sure to leave the kitchen premises and after doing so hands must be thoroughly washed before entering the kitchen again.
   


6.  Do NOT smoke in the kitchen



Smoking is strictly prohibited in kitchens especially during food handling, the smoke can cause food contamination and also creates a unpleasant environment and odour in the kitchen.