Responsibilities of food handler/solutions to poor food hygiene practice

Introduction

According to the Food Standards Agency, food hygiene is the practice of properly chilling, cooking, cleaning food and avoiding cross-contamination to prevent the spread of bacteria in food. Improper food hygiene when handling raw food may lead to food poisoning. When handling food, a food handler is expected to free from infections and diseases.

According to Mudambi and Rajagopol (2001) during preparation and serving, all equipments coming in contact with food should be clean, the surrounding should be clean and there should be a proper and safe method for disposal of waste.

A food handler is a person with any job that requires him/her to handle food or beverages and be involved in preparing, manufacturing, serving, inspecting or even packaging of food and beverage items

Mishandling and disregard food hygiene measures on the part of food handlers may result in food contamination and its attendant consequences. Some of the items which need particular attention to ensure that food is safe for consumption are safe and portable water supply, selection of wholesome ingredients and hygiene handling of food to prevent the entry of spoilage and pathogenic organisms (Clayton, Criffith and Price, 2002).

Food borne illness as we all know is any illness associated with eating food contaminated by disease causing bacteria, viruses or  parasites, natural toxins in plants and animals such as mushroom and shell fish; or harmful chemical agents such as insecticides and heavy metals. The symptoms of contaminated food develop with a period of several hours to 10 days after eating contaminated and usually include nausea, abdominal and stomach cramp etc. Dehydration may develop leading to thirst, dizziness or fainting.

Conceptual framework

According to the food standards agency, food hygiene is the practice of properly chilling, cooking, cleaning food and avoiding cross-contamination to prevent the spread of bacteria.

Food hygiene has been taught in many places, yet it did not yield the needed promotion of good health. Most persons view food hygiene as just washing of food and keeping one’s hands clean before and after handling food, but it is more than that, food hygiene is more than cleanliness since diseases can be transmitted in food from one individual to another and also serve as a growth medium for bacteria which can cause food poisoning(Akintaro, 2012)

Okojie, Wagbatsoma and Igborogbe (2005), says it is the scientific discipline describing handling, preparation of food in ways that prevent food-borne illness. The principle of food hygiene implies that there should be minimal handling of food items. Food handlers are thus expected to observe proper hygiene and sanitation method as the chances of food contamination largely depends on their health status and hygiene practice.

A food handler is a person with any job that requires him/her to handle unpackaged foods or beverages and  be involved in preparing, manufacturing, serving, inspecting or even packaging of food and beverage items.

Okojie et al. (2005), in assessment of food hygiene practice among food handlers reported that the knowledge and practice of food hygiene and safety was poor, thus the consumption of contaminated food may result in illness, also referred to as food-borne disease. Food-borne disease remains a major public health problem across the globe, even in developed countries. An estimated one-third of the population are affected by microbial food-borne each year. Diarrhoea disease, mostly caused by food-borne or water-borne microbial pathogens remains the leading causes of illness and death in the country.

In Africa, poverty is the underlying cause of consumption of unsafe food, lack of access to portable water, poor government structural arrangement, trade pressure, communicable diseases, high incidence of diarrhoea disease among children are an indicator of food hygiene situation in Africa (Dewaal & Robert, 2005).

Food hygiene are the conditions and measures necessary to ensure safety of food from production to consumption and hygiene mostly means practice that prevents spread of disease causing organisms, since cleaning process like hand washing removes infections, microbes as well as dirt and sand, they are often a means to achieve hygiene. Lack of adequate food hygiene can lead to food-borne diseases and death of the consumer. Inculcation of food hygiene habit would help in preventing food from being contaminated during handling (Mudambi & Rajagopol, 2001).

Food handlers with poor personal hygiene working in food establishments could be potential sources of infections. A food handler may be involved in food preparation, production, cooking, service, packing, display or storage. They must follow any safety instructions issued by an employer, and conduct their duties in such a way that they do not affect the health and safety of themselves, their employers and the consumers at large. They must properly use and look after any cooking utensils and personal protection equipment.

Causes of lack of food hygiene practice/ diseases associated with it

• One of the main causes of lack of food hygiene practice is poverty.
• Poor and faulty food handling practices also pose a great threat to lack of food hygiene practices (Clayton, Griffith, Price & Peters, 2002).
• Poor storage of food and improper preparation and cooking are some of the causes of lack of food hygiene practice.
• Unhealthy food handlers also cause food to be contaminated.
• Ignorance of the food handlers can also be a cause

Diseases associated with poor hygiene practice

• Staphylococcus aureus.
• Shigella specie in cuts,sores, mouth, skin and hair
• Salmonellosis
• Non-typhoidal salmonella (Adams & Moss, 2008).

Aspects of food hygiene practice

Good food hygiene practice isn’t just something for restaurants only to worry about, it is supposed to be carried out by anyone that comes in contact with food. It is important to know how to prepare food safely and hygienically in the home too.

There are four important elements to good food hygiene;

• cleaning
• storing
• preparing
• cooking

Cleaning

Cleaning is a very essential part of hygiene, thus it should not be joked with. Wash your hands with soap and warm water before and after you handle food. Dry them with a separate hand towel (not a tea towel). Remove your jewellery before you handle food–bacteria can hide under jewellery such as rings. Clean the area you’re working in and the utensils you’re using.  Clean up any split food straight away. Change your tea towels and dish cloth regularly because they can harbour bacteria especially if they are damp.

Storing

If you don’t follow the storage guideline that comes with your food, you could let yourself in for real problems. Check labels for advice on how to store food. Keep your fridge between 0^oC and 5 ^oC, and your freezer at less than -18^oC to prevent bacteria from multiplying, keep raw meat and seafood separate from other foods in airtight containers at the bottom of the fridge. Defrost frozen food in the fridge; pop them on a plate or in a container as they defrost so that they don’t drip on other foods. Don’t store opened tins of food in the fridge. Transfer to an air tight container once you open tin, materials such as bacteria can get into the content.

Preparing

Don’t eat foods that have passed their use by date, even if they look fine, they may not be safe to eat. You can eat food on its best before date (except eggs). Take chilled food out of the fridge at the last minute before you eat. Use separate chopping boards and utensils to prepare raw meat or fish and clean them thoroughly with soap and warm water after use. Raw meats contain harmful bacteria that are killed during cooking but that can spread from your knives and chopping boards to other foods, if not washed away.

Cooking

Cooking at temperature over 70^oC for at least two minutes will kill any bacteria in food. Bacteria can survive cooler temperatures than this, so it is vital to cook food properly. Follow the instructions for cooking time and temperature and pre heat your oven fully. Make sure food is piping hot- you should see steam coming out before you serve it. A food thermometer is a handy tool to check if food is cooked to the right temperature (70 degree centigrade). Cook met all the way through, aside from rare steaks, or lamb and beef joint. Meat shouldn’t be picked in the middle, use a clean skewer to pierce the meat, if it’s cooked properly, the juice will run clearly. Always reheat pre-cooked food thoroughly, only reheat pre-cooked food once. If you are cooking food in microwave, stir it well from time to time to ensure that it is evenly cooked all the way through.

Consequences of poor hygiene practice among food handlers

Also if you have poor hygiene, food borne disease will come in which will result into food borne illness. By failing to improve food safety, the industry runs the risk of actually poisoning consumers and attracting expensive litigation that often results in public relations nightmare.

Food borne disease will come in a way which will result into illness. Food borne diseases remain a major public health problem across the globe.

The responsibility of a food handler and the solution to poor food hygiene practice

Responsibilities of a food handler

There are various responsibilities of food handlers

1. Food handlers need to take special care of following hygiene practices as they are directly responsible for the well being of consumer who eat the food. Self sanitation and that of the work place is of the utmost important and their ability, knowledge of preparing and handling food is even more so.
2. A food handler is expected to pack food and they deliver it to the consumer in some instances. Any job that requires a person to handle food or anything that is sure to come in contact with food is a food handler. This may include who handle and wash cutlery and dishware and also people who may clean and sanitize services where food may be prepared.
3. A food handler may be expected to cut and grind meat, manage weighing and packing duties for vegetables and preparing salad. They also work directly with unpackaged food.
4. Food handlers work in many settings where the need to handle unpacked food is eminent. Popular working places for food handlers may include restaurant, cafeterias, hotels, hospitals and even homes depending on individually placed positions.
5. Food handlers are responsible for cooking, preparing, serving, packing, displaying and storing food. They must follow any safety instruction issue by an employer and conduct their duties in such a way so that they do not affect the health and safety of themselves, work colleagues, customers or their employers.

A food handler must tell their supervisors if they suspect that they may have accidentally contaminated food if they have or carrying diseases that might be transmitted through food. Food handlers must not work with any kind of food if they have illness such as cold, skin infection, infected cut etc. they should not return to work until they have been symptoms free for at least 48 hours (Akintaro, 2012).

Solutions to poor food hygiene practice

• Food handlers who have little or no knowledge on food hygiene practice should be educated by food hygiene agencies.
• Food handlers should be monitored to ensure that they practice food hygiene in the restaurants, homes, hotels etc.
• Unhealthy food handlers should not be allowed to handle food.

References

Adams, M.R.&Moss, M.O. (2008). Food microbiology, (3^rd ed.)Cambridge: The royal society of chemistry,

Akintaro O. A. (2012).Food handling, hygiene and the role of food regulatory agencies in promoting good health and development in Nigeria.  Food Technology Journal, Vol1, No.( 1-3),pp1-8.

Clayton, D.A., Criffith D.J., Price,P. & Peter, A.C. (2002). Food handlers belief and self reported practices, International Environmental Health Resources, Vol 12, pp25-39

Dewaal, C.S. &Robert, W. (2005).Global and local food safety round the world,center for science in public interest, Washington D.C.

Mudambi, S.R.& Rajagopol, M,V. (2001).Fundamentals of food and nutrition,New Delhi: John Wiley

Okojie, O.H., Wagbatsoma, V.A. & Ighoroge, A.D. (2005): An assessment of food hygiene practice among food handlers.Nigerian University Campus Journal, Vol 12, pp93-6.

Schlundt, J., Toyofuku, H.,& Herbst ,S.A.(2004).Emergency food borne.Zoonoses Vol 23,pp513-55