PERSONAL HYGIENE FOR CHEFS
contamination occurs before we receive the food, which means proper purchasing and receiving
producers are important parts of a sanitation program. Most food contamination occurs as a result of
cross-contamination, defined as the transference surface, such as equipment, worktables, or hands.
Examples of situations in which cross-contamination can occur include the following:
- Mixing contaminated leftovers with a freshly cooked batch of food.
- Handling ready-to-eat foods with unclean hands.
- Handling several types of food without washing hands in between.
- Cutting raw chicken, then using the same cutting board, unsanitized, to cut vegetables. Fish or
- meat to drip onto them from an upper shelf.
- Wiping down the work surface with a soiled cloth.
For the food worker, the first step in preventing foodborne disease is good personal hygiene.
Even when we are healthy, we have bacterial all over the skin and in our nose and mouth. Some of
these bacteria, if given the chance to grow in food, will make people ill.
1. Do not work with food if you have any communicable disease or infection.
2. Bathe or shower daily.
3. Wear clean uniforms and aprons.
4. Keep hair neat and clean. Always wear a hat or hairnet. Hair longer than shoulder length must first be tied back and then secured under a net or hat.
5. Keep mustaches and bread trimmed and clean. Better yet, be-clean shaven.
6. Remove all jewelry: rings, low-hanging earnings, watches, bracelets. Avoid facial piecing;
if you have them, don’t touch them.
7. Wash hands and exposed parts of arms before work and as often as necessary during
work, including;
- After eating, drinking, or smoking.
- After using the toilet.
- After touching or handling anything that may be contaminated with bacteria
8. Cover coughs and sneeze, then wash your hands.
9. Keep your hands away from your face, eyes, hair, and arms.
10. Keep fingernails clean and short.
11. Do not wear nail polish.
10. Keep fingernails clean and short.
11. Do not wear nail polish.
12. Do not smoke or chew gum while on duty.
13. Cover cuts or sores with clean bandages. If the sore is on the hands, you must wear
gloves.
14. Do not sit on worktables.
13. Cover cuts or sores with clean bandages. If the sore is on the hands, you must wear
gloves.
14. Do not sit on worktables.
The chef was her own miracle. She saw a brilliance in food, a potential to help and heal others, a way to show them how the sublime was simply a mixture of the ordinary. It was her genius at play, seeing what the rest of us didn't. I guess that's why we called it her culinary magic and joked that her spoon was a wand carved from the spirit tree. Either way, she made us all so happy, food does that, right? It feeds the soul, brings smiles and bonds, makes everything so much better
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