Food handlers

Food handler is any person who directly handles packaged or unpackaged food, equipment and utensils used for food, or surfaces that come in contact with food and is therefore expected to meet food hygiene requirements.

Handling food is an act that, regardless of our trade, we all perform on a daily basis; either as gastronomy professionals, in our house, or as operators in a food plant. Therefore, there are many people who, with their effort and work, contribute daily so that the food we consume has a hygienic quality that allows us to avoid the dangers caused by foodborne illnesses. We have all heard of diseases such as diarrhea and other types of gastrointestinal ailments, caused by issues of lack of hygiene when preparing food. Foodborne illnesses mainly affect the populations most susceptible of our society, such as: children, the elderly, pregnant women and sick people. And we know that about two-thirds of epidemics caused by food consumption in restaurants, cafeterias, school canteens and in the same homes. If we always handle food with clean hands and practice the appropriate hygienic rules, we will prevent our families, or our customers, from running the risk of consuming contaminated food. Our contribution as manipulators is therefore key within a food establishment and our work is of the utmost importance to take care of our health, of our family, of our community and of the business in which we make food.

MAIN ROUTES OF CONTAMINATION THAT FOOD CAN SUFFER FROM HANDLERS

• Poor personal hygiene.
• Inappropriate clothing.
• Person who manipulates them, who suffers from a disease or is a carrier of one.
• Bad handling practices.

Food contamination can occur indirectly or directly.  If it is indirect, it is due to contaminated utensils, garbage. On the other hand, the direct contamination is generated by germs, because the food comes from a sick or carrier animal.

However, the usual thing is that the professional who is dedicated to the field of food handling knows the basic rules of hygiene and knows the most common causes of food poisoning. They should understand correct use of different tools such as refrigeration and freezing chambers, as well as know how to perform cleaning operations safely and hygienically.

*Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsPan American Health Organization / World Health OrganizationWashington, D.C., // EUROINNOVA.