Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Quite possibly the most effective control of infectious disease is rigorous
compliance to hand washing; prior to handling foods, after using toilets, after han-
dling raw foods or making contact with environmental contamination sources, e.g.,
cleaning utensils, bins, etc. Although most food handlers could be expected to know
how to wash hands, it is also important that training is given for effective hand
washing, including the importance of wetting hands, applying soap, scrubbing
hands and nails and then rinsing and drying fully. Handwashing instructions located
at wash hand basins can be useful prompts to food handlers in the correct procedure
for this simple, but most important of tasks. Hand washing is often supplemented
with the use of an additional hand sanitiser (alcohol or quaternary ammonium com-
pound), and although some businesses use antibacterial soap, the key hygiene step
is the washing and drying itself irrespective of the use of an antibacterial agent.
The use of gloves for handling food varies between businesses and remains of
debatable food safety signifi cance. Whether used or not, it is essential that this is not
used as a substitute for hand washing.
A large number of foodborne disease outbreaks have been attributed to poor
infectious disease control (Graves et al.
1998
; Olsen et al.
2001
; Barrabeig et al.
2010
).
Food handlers should wear appropriate protective clothing, which should be
dedicated as much as possible to the area of the business they are working in, i.e.,
delicatessen counter or bakery. Clothing should be clean and laundered regularly to
prevent the clothing itself becoming a risk of contamination to product. Regulation
(EC) 852/2004 (Anon.
2004a
) states that “Every person working in a food-handling
area is to maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and is to wear suitable,
clean and, where necessary, protective clothing”. Practices within retail operations
for protective clothing can vary signifi cantly, but it is good practice for those han-
dling food to have outer garments such as aprons dedicated for use in any particular
counter operation e.g., delicatessen, bakery, etc. The use of colour coding of cloth-
ing can also be helpful to quickly identify any colleagues in inappropriate areas of
the store. Such protective clothing should be regularly changed and laundered, this
being dependent on the degree of soiling that occurs during normal operation. Such
laundering should ensure that clothing is both cleaned and disinfected, this nor-
mally being achieved through high temperature washing (>70 °C) and drying
(>100 °C) together with separation of dirty and clean laundry.
Product
Cross-contamination
—Products can themselves be a source of contamination to
other products or indeed to equipment that may in turn become a vehicle of cross-
contamination to other products. It is therefore important to recognise the relative
risks presented by different products and to ensure that appropriate controls are in
place to manage them in a retail environment. As previously noted, Regulation (EC)
852/2004 (Anon.
2004a
) requires that “at all stages of production, processing and
distribution, food is to be protected against any contamination likely to render the
