GOOD FOOD HYGIENE PRACTICES BY FOOD HANDLING/SERVICE STAFF IN FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS: THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OFFICER'S PERSPECTIVE FOR FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS.

INTRODUCTION:

All persons, including food handling/service staff (e.g. waiters, waitresses) working in retail food establishments should practise good personal and food hygiene to ensure that food served to customers is safe for consumption.
They must realize that safe and sanitary food handling and personal hygiene practices may also influence customers’ decisions in re-visiting the food establishment.
The following guidelines inform food establishment operators and service staff of the good hygiene practices that should be adopted when serving food to patrons  

GUIDELINES:

1) Health Status of Service Staff : Operators of food establishments should ensure that all service staff are free from any symptoms of illnesses. This is ensured by subjecting all food handling service staff to a periodic medical examination to ascertain health fitness before allowed access to food storage, preparation, and service. After the fitness examination in a government health faculty, the food handler would be issued a medical report by the medical officer in charge of the health facility. The medical report would then be brought to the Environmental Health Authority in charge of the area, where a Health Certificate of Fitness shall be issued to each food handler.
Service (food handling) staff who are ill could contaminate the food served and spread diseases to customers through their contact with the food, e.g. by coughing or sneezing onto raw, cooked or ready-to-eat food, touching raw, cooked or ready-to-eat food with bare hands and not washing their hands thoroughly after using the toilet.  The following must be ensured by food establishments:-

a) All food handling staff should inform their supervisors if they are feeling unwell. Supervisors should ask staff who are feeling unwell to see a doctor immediately, without delay. 

b) Supervisors should only allow service staff to come into contact with cooked food and serving utensils 48 hours after the cessation of illness. 

c) Food service staff with cuts and sores must completely stay away from food preparation and service till wound heals.

2)  Personal Hygiene:
Operators of food establishments should ensure that all service staff put on clean clothes and follow good personal hygiene practices to prevent the contamination of food. Some good personal hygiene practices that service staff should adopt include:
 
A.) Wear clean, proper and tidy attire when they are at work. The attire should be changed on a daily basis, or when they are soiled.
 
B.) Keep their fingernails short and clean and not put on nail polish or fake    fingernails. Bacteria harboured under fingernails can get into food when fingernails come into contact with food. Bacteria will multiply and contaminate food.
 
C.) Do not wear accessories or jewellery as they may drop into the food. Such articles could also trap food debris that can contaminate food.
 
D.) KEEP HAIR AND BEARDS NEAT AND TIDY: Long hair should be tied up using hair restraints such as caps, head scarf etc. 

E.) EFFECTIVE HAND WASHING is important to help prevent harmful bacteria from spreading from hands or arms to food, work surfaces, utensils, equipment, etc. Hands and exposed portions of arms must be washed thoroughly with soap and water before starting work and especially: 
i.    After visiting the toilet
ii.   After having a break
iii.  After handling money
iv.  Before and after serving food
v.   After coughing, sneezing, eating or drinking
vi.  After handling rubbish
vii. After cleaning works e.g. clearing plates, wiping tables and clearing food mess/remains.
 
F.) OPERATORS of food establishments are to ensure that there are dedicated non-hand operated hand-washing sinks for service staff to carry out the following proper hand washing steps: 
i. Wet hands with clean, running water and apply soap. Rub palms together to make lather.
ii.    Scrub in between the fingers
iii.   Scrub the back of your hands
iv.   Scrub your thumbs
v.    Scrub your palms
vi.   Scrub your nails and fingertips
vii.  Scrub your wrists
viii. Rinse and dry your hands with paper towel 

G.) Hand sanitizers should be provided within the refreshment area for service staff to disinfect their hands regularly. Soiled hands, however, would need to be cleaned with soap and water before the use of hand sanitizer.
 
H.) To prevent the contamination of food or food-contact surfaces, staff should not do any of the following when handling or serving food:- 
i.    Smoke
ii.   Spit
iii.   Pick nose
iv.   Clean ears with fingers
v.    Blow or breathe on glassware or cutlery to polish them
vi.   Wipe hands on a dirty cloth
vii.  Comb or touch hair
viii. Wipe off perspiration with bare hands

3)  FOOD HANDLING AND SERVING PRACTICES: 
Operators of food establishments should ensure that all service staff are aware of and follow proper food handling and serving practices to prevent contamination of food. The service staff should:
a) Turn away from food and cover their noses and mouths with tissue paper or handkerchiefs when sneezing or coughing. Wash their hands thoroughly after sneezing or coughing.
 
b) Do not touch cooked or ready-to-serve food with bare hands when serving food. Care should be taken to ensure that their thumbs or fingers are not in contact with the food 

c) Always use tongs, ladles or spoons to handle cooked, ready-to-eat food or cut fruits. When necessary, wear disposable gloves when handling cooked, ready-to-eat food or cut fruits. Discard the gloves after each use. 

d) Handle crockery and utensils by the base, handle or areas that are not in contact with food. Ensure that crockery and utensils are not dirty, chipped, broken or cracked. 

e) Do not touch the inside and rim of cups or glasses. Use a food tray when serving drinks. 

f) Do not use bare hands to handle or place ice into glasses. Always use tongs, scoops or other ice dispensing utensils or equipment to handle ice. 

g) Always provide serving spoons to patrons who are sharing dishes. 

h) Do not serve cooked or ready-to-eat food which has dropped on the floor or        exposed to contaminants e.g. cleaning chemicals, pests.  

i) Keep the dining environment clean and do not sweep crumbs or remnants onto the floor. Staff should wipe tables with clean cloth and sanitizer.