A Food Handler’s Guide to Food Safety

Introduction:

We all need food to stay alive and healthy. However, food can also make us sick if it is not prepared and served properly. You, as a food handler, play an important role in making sure people do not get sick from the foods and drinks you prepare and serve.

To prevent people from becoming ill from the food they eat, the County of India requires all food handlers who work in food facilities such as restaurants, bakeries, mobile food facilities (vending) and grocery stores to receive food safety training and pass a test every two years.

Who Must Receive Training?

Food handlers are required to receive food safety training. A food handler is an employee of a food facility who is involved in the preparation, storage, service or handling of food products. Anyone who prepares food or who may come in contact with food products, food utensils or equipment is a food handler.

No person shall be engaged in food handling unless he or she falls in one of these categories:

1. Has a valid Food Handler Training Card,
2. Is working in an establishment under the supervision of a certified Food Safety Manager and has taken and passed an in-house exam approved by the County of San Diego, or
3. Is an owner or employee who has successfully passed an approved and accredited food safety certification examination, also called a Food Safety Manager Certificate.

Why do I, as a food handler, require special training?

Because if you do not understand and do not follow the rules of food safety, you can make yourself and your customers sick.

This booklet was written for you, the food handler. It contains information to help you keep the public healthy and to help you keep your job. This booklet was designed to help you learn the simple rules of food safety. You should use this information at work and at home.

Major Causes of Foodborne Illness:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified the following food safety risk factors as the major causes of foodborne illnesses:

1. Poor personal hygiene
2. Improper food holding temperatures
3. Improper cooking temperatures
4. Contaminated equipment
5. Foods from unsafe sources

It is very important to control these risks at all times so food can be safe!

What makes people sick from food?

Food can make people sick because of several types of germs, also known as pathogens. These germs include viruses, protozoa, parasites and bacteria. For example, Hepatitis A is an illness caused by a virus. If food handlers do not wash their hands after using the toilet, they can contaminate food with the Hepatitis A virus. To prevent or stop the spread of Hepatitis A and many other disease-causing germs, food handlers must properly wash their hands after using the toilet.

Employee Health and Hygiene:

Ways Food Handlers Can Spread Disease

• Not washing hands
• Skin lesions
• Nasal discharge or respiratory illness (sneezes/coughs)
• Working with food or utensils while ill with diarrhea, fever, vomiting or stomach cramps
• Poor personal hygiene

How to Prevent Foodborne Illness?

• Wash your hands before you begin working and whenever they might be contaminated. Be sure to wash your hands after coughing, sneezing, touching raw meat or poultry, and especially after using the toilet.
• Do not wear jewelry on hands and arms (other than a plain ring, such as a wedding band) when handling food or utensils.
• Minimize touching food with your bare hands, particularly ready-to-eat food that will not be cooked or has already been cooked. Use clean single-use, non-latex, disposable plastic gloves or clean kitchen utensils to mix, prepare and serve ready-to-eat food.
• If you are sick with diarrhea and/or vomiting, fever or stomach cramps, DO NOT WORK WITH FOOD OR UTENSILS! You can pass your germs onto the customer through the food or utensils you handle.
• If you have an open cut, wound or sore on your hands or arms, you should not work with food. When you are allowed to return to work, cover the wound with a water-proof bandage and wear single-use, non-latex, disposable plastic gloves.
• Keep your clothes clean. Change your uniform and apron often.
• Always restrain your hair with a covering such as a hair net or cap. Long beards should also be restrained to keep loose hairs and sweat out of food.
• Use clean wiping rags and properly store them in a sanitizer solution when not in use.

Protection from Contamination

Food must be stored, prepared and served so it is protected from contamination.

Store food so it is protected from contamination

• Ice is often called the "forgotten food". Although it is frozen, ice can still be contaminated with germs. Do not use your hands or drinking glasses to scoop ice. Use only commercial food-grade plastic or metal scoops with handles.
• Do not chill glasses or store any items in ice if that ice will be used in drinks.
• Clean can openers before and after each use and replace or rotate blade as often as necessary.
• Store cooked and ready-to-eat foods above raw foods in the refrigerator.
• Keep foods covered.
• Don't stack uncovered foods on top of each other.
• Never add sulfites to fresh fruits and vegetables or to potentially hazardous foods like meat, fish, poultry or dairy products.

Prepare food so it is protected from contamination

• Wash fruits and vegetables in the food preparation sink prior to use. Be sure to wash, rinse and sanitize the sink between uses, especially after preparing raw meats or produce.
• When preparing raw meats, prevent cross contamination by cleaning and sanitizing cutting boards prior to use with other food items.
• Prepare raw foods separately from cooked foods.

Protect food from chemical contamination

Detergents, polishes, caustics, cleaning and drying agents, and other similar products are poisonous to humans. Keep them stored away from food.

• Follow label directions for storing and using chemicals.
• Carefully measure chemicals. Never randomly mix chemicals, especially ammonia and bleach.
• Store chemicals in original containers. Keep them in dry, locked cabinets or areas away from food and food contact surfaces.
• Never use food containers to store chemicals. Never use chemical containers to store food.
• Dispose empty chemical containers as directed by the manufacturer.
• Wash and dry your hands after using chemicals; especially if you are returning to food preparation duties.
• Properly label and store all containers or spray bottles with the name of the contents and hazards.

Protect food from physical hazards

Dirt, hair, broken glass, nails, staples, metal fragments (i.e., from shredded scrub pads), glass from unshielded lights, rocks, band aids and other objects can accidentally enter food. It is important to make sure food is properly stored and prepared to avoid these hazards.

• Do not store toothpicks or inedible garnishes (like paper umbrellas or plastic herbs) on shelves above food storage or preparation areas.
• Place and maintain protective shields on lights over food storage, produce display and preparation areas.
• Remove staples, nails and similar objects from boxes and crates when food is received to prevent these items from accidentally contaminating the food.

Temperature Control:

Improper time and temperature control are the most common factors that can contribute to foodborne illnesses. This is because bacteria can grow in foods high in protein and water activity such as meats, seafood, eggs, dairy products, cooked vegetables, and cooked grains such as rice. The potential for rapid bacterial growth in these foods define them as potentially hazardous foods PHFs).

Potentially hazardous food includes:

• Foods of animal origin that is raw or cooked. Examples include eggs, milk, beef, and chicken.
• Food of plant origin that is cooked. Examples include rice, potatoes, and pasta.
• Raw seed sprouts.
• Cut melons. Examples include watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew.
• Cut tomatoes or mixtures with cut tomatoes.
• Garlic-in-oil mixtures.

Potentially hazardous food does not include any of the following:

• A food with a low water activity value of 0.85 or less. Examples include spices, dried dairy products, dried meat products, cereal products, nuts and candies.
• A food with a pH level of 4.6 or below when measured at 75°F. Examples include juices, certain fruits (grapes, lemons, strawberries), honey, and acidified foods.
• An air-cooled, hard-boiled egg with shell intact, or an egg with shell intact that is not hard-boiled but has been pasteurized.
• A food in an unopened, hermetically sealed container that is commercially processed such as canned foods.

Garbage and Refuse:

• Food wastes and all other garbage should be thrown away at least once a day.
• Place garbage in strong plastic bags and place them in an outside container with a tight-fitting lid.
• Refuse containers must be kept clean, not leak and be tightly covered to keep out pests.
• Garbage and refuse should be picked up as often as necessary to prevent the bin from overflowing, but not less than once per week.