Personal hygiene for people who work with food – Video

We have recently recorded a short YouTube video on Personal Hygiene for catering staff and any one who works with food which can be used as a useful training tool for all staff working with food and can easily be incorporated into your induction training.

This video practically demonstrates the key points such as the importance of a pre-employment medical questionnaire, hand-washing, protective clothing and the provision of staff facilities. All of these points are crucial to delivering safe food to your customers.

Good personal hygiene is crucial in terms of preparing and serving safe food and is the cornerstone of an effective HACCP system.  Many cases of food poisoning can be traced back to poor personal hygiene. This may involve dirty hands, bacteria from jewellery/hair, or staff members handling food when they are suffering from an infection.

The human body is a carrier of many different types of deadly contaminants such as Salmonella, campylobacter, E-Coli, Clostridium Perfringens, Staphylococcus Aureus, MRSA, flu, the common cold, impetigo…just to name a few. These contaminants can result in customers or patients becoming ill, and can even lead to death. Food workers have both a legal and moral responsibility to ensure that they do not spread these contaminants to food.

It is the responsibility of management to develop good personal hygiene practices in their staff. This can only be achieved by example, training, the provision of good personnel facilities and constant vigilance.

We sincerely hope that you find this video useful, and welcome any feedback in the comment section below.