1. Basic Food Safety and Hygiene
This presentation is designed to provide basic introductory level awareness information on the management of food safety and hygiene in an adult residential care sector setting such as a care home or nursing home.
It is intended for food handlers and non-food handlers whose work might affect food safety, including staff who are involved in serving refreshments such as hot drinks, sandwiches and snacks.
More in-depth training is required for all caterers and food handlers, and staff who have additional food handling responsibilities relevant to their service users' needs.

2. Objectives
Understand the importance of food safety, including hygiene, in the preparation and handling of food
Be aware of food hygiene legislation and understand its importance to the home and to its residents
Understand the importance of good personal hygiene and hand washing
Know when you must inform your manager or supervisor if you have any illness that might affect food safety
Explain to the group what the session is meant to achieve and what attendees should get out of it. 2

3. What is Food Hygiene?
Food hygiene refers to the hygienic handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness
Poor food hygiene can cause food poisoning
The safety of food served is vital to the health of service users and a key responsibility of businesses which cook and serve food, such as care homes
Businesses can be prosecuted for contravening food safety legislation

4. Legislation
The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 lay down strict standards relating to the cleanliness of premises and equipment, hygienic food handling practices, waste disposal and the control and management of steps critical to food safety
The Food Safety Act 1990 lays down offences in relation to the sale of food, including the serving of food which is unfit for human consumption and food which contains foreign bodies
Food safety is covered by numerous pieces of legislation. The most important are the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 and the Food Safety Act 1990. 4

5. CQC Requirements
Regulation 14 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 cover food hygiene
Outcome 5 of the Essential Standards, Meeting Nutritional Needs, requires that food is handled, stored, prepared and delivered in a way that meets the requirements of the Food Safety Act 1990
From April 2015, new Fundamental Standards will replace the Essential Standards
All adult social care providers that carry out regulated activities under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in order to practise. Guidance about Compliance: Essential Standards of Quality and Safety, published in March 2010, contains the outcomes that the CQC expects service users to experience if a provider is compliant with the regulations. Within this guidance providers of adult social care services must comply with the requirements of Regulation 14 and Outcome 5: Meeting Nutritional Needs. From April 2015, new Fundamental Standards will replace the Essential Standards. 5

6. Food Standards Enforcement
Local authorities are responsible for enforcing food hygiene laws
Environmental health enforcement officers have the right to enter and inspect a premises
Local authorities can issue improvement notices for contraventions of the hygiene regulations 6

7. Food Poisoning
Food poisoning is any infectious or toxic disease caused by consuming food or drink which has become infected with toxins, bacteria, viruses or parasites
Food poisoning is usually caused by poor food hygiene standards or poor cooking/food storage techniques
Common symptoms include diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain
Adult social care service users, particularly the elderly or those in ill health, can be especially vulnerable 7

8. Common Food Poisoning Pathogens
Campylobacter is a bacteria present in unpasteurised milk or raw poultry
Salmonella is a bacteria that might be present in raw meat, poultry and eggs
Staphylococcus Aureus, Clostridium and Bacillus Cereus all produce toxins or poisons in food which can result in severe vomiting
E. coli infection can cause symptoms that vary from mild to severe and life-threatening 8

9. Causes of Food Poisoning
Most infections result from a combination of contaminated foods, poor kitchen hygiene and inadequate cooking
Food might become contaminated because the source animal or bird was infected
Infections can be spread by poor personal hygiene and food hygiene techniques by food handlers and cooks
Many organisms that live on meat are killed when the food is cooked properly 9

10. WHO Key Food Safety Principles
Prevent the contamination of food with pathogens spread from people, pets, and pests
Separate raw and cooked foods to prevent contaminating the cooked foods
Cook foods for the appropriate length of time and at the appropriate temperature to kill pathogens
Store food at the proper temperature
Use safe, clean water and cooked materials
Introduce the five key principles for food safety as defined by the World Health Organization. 10

11. Kitchens and Food Preparation or Serving Areas
Surfaces, equipment and utensils must be maintained in a sound condition and be easy to clean and, where necessary, to disinfect
Surfaces should be made of materials that are smooth, washable, corrosion-resistant and non-toxic
Use separate work areas, surfaces and equipment for raw and ready-to-eat food
Report any maintenance repairs or any faults
Report any evidence of pests
Kitchens, food preparation and serving areas include dining rooms and “mini-kitchens” where light refreshments are prepared, such as tea, coffee, biscuits and cakes. 11

12. Cleaning Kitchens and Food Preparation or Serving Areas
Kitchens, mini-kitchens and other food preparation, storing and serving areas must be kept clean
Have in place a cleaning schedule and keep records
Always use “food safe” cleaning products and follow manufacturers’ instructions: save data sheets, follow COSHH guidelines and wear appropriate PPE
Food surfaces and equipment should be cleaned with detergents, sanitisers and degreasers as required
Sanitisers contain disinfectants and are usually combined with detergent
Data sheets provide essential safety information about substances. PPE refers to personal protective equipment and clothing such as aprons and gloves. 12

13. Kitchen Cloths
Kitchen cloths are a frequent source of contamination and can harbour and spread bacteria
Start each day with clean cloths
Use a food safe antibacterial cleaner when using a kitchen cloth
Use disposable cloths wherever possible
Use different coloured cloths for different jobs
Wash reusable cloths after use on a hot cycle
Replace cloths regularly
Surveys have found that dish cloths used in commercial kitchens have high bacteria levels, including E. coli.
Cloths used for wiping food preparation surfaces become soiled very quickly. They are often wet and tend to be used for both clean and dirty surfaces, spreading bacteria from one surface to another (cross-contamination). There is little point in providing separate surfaces for different food preparations if all surfaces are cleaned with the same cloth. 13

14. Personal Hygiene
All food handlers, catering staff and food servers must practise high standards of personal hygiene
Ensure nails are short and remove jewellery
Do not touch your face and hair, smoke, spit, sneeze, eat or chew gum when handling food
Keep hair tied back and wear suitable head covering, eg hat or hairnet, if preparing food
Wear clean clothes/overalls and a clean apron
Handwashing is covered on the next slide. 14

15. When to Wash Hands
When entering the food handling area, eg after a break or going to the toilet
Before preparing food
After touching raw food, such as meat/poultry, fish, eggs and unwashed fruit and vegetables
After cleaning, handling waste or emptying a bin
After blowing your nose, touching phones, etc
This slide is an opportunity to reinforce the importance of effective handwashing in food hygiene.
Effective handwashing is vital to help prevent harmful bacteria from spreading from people's hands to food.
Tell staff that they should wash their hands thoroughly using soap and water and dry their hands thoroughly on a disposable towel. Harmful bacteria can spread more easily if hands are wet or damp. 15

16. Fitness to Work
By law employers must not allow anyone to handle food or enter a food handling area if they:
are suffering from or carrying a disease likely to be transmitted through food
have infected wounds, skin infections, sores
have diarrhoea
Food handling staff must report any of the above to a manager/supervisor
Staff with diarrhoea or vomiting should not return to work until they have had no symptoms for 48 hours
Ensuring that food handlers and cooks are free from infection themselves is a key element in good food hygiene.
Anyone working in a business where food is cooked or served who is affected by any of these and is likely to come into contact with food through their work must tell their manager or supervisor immediately about the illness or symptoms and, if possible, what has caused them.
The Food Standards Agency has published the guidance Food Handlers: Fitness to Work to help prevent the spread of infection to other people through food. 16

17. Pest Control Pests spread disease Common pests include flies and mice
High standards of hygiene and maintenance are the best defence
Any signs of pests should be reported immediately
Do not leave food out overnight
Empty waste bins daily
Do not place electronic fly killers near food
Make sure fly screens are in place 17

18. Food Storage Check that foods are in date
Store food in a cool place or in the fridge
To avoid cross-contamination, store raw foods well away from cooked or ready to eat foods in the fridge
Store raw meat/poultry in clean sealed containers on the bottom shelf of the fridge, so it can't touch or drip onto other food
Ensure storage containers have tightly fitting lids 18

19. Basic Food Preparation and Serving
At every stage food must be protected from cross- contamination
All tools, equipment and surfaces that come into contact with food must be kept clean
All meat should be thoroughly cooked or reheated
Salads must be washed thoroughly
Foods that need to be chilled should be kept at 8°C or below while foods that are being kept hot before serving should remain above 63°C  19

20. Training
A Level 1 award in Food Safety Awareness is appropriate for food handlers and non-food handlers whose work may affect food safety
A Level 2 award in Food Safety in Catering is appropriate for catering staff and staff who have additional duties relating to the preparation, handling or storing of food
Use this slide to point out where staff need additional training for their roles according to local policies and procedures. 20

21. Summary Poor food hygiene can cause food poisoning
Kitchens and other food preparation, storing and serving areas must be kept clean
All food handlers, catering staff and food servers must practice high standards of personal hygiene
Effective hand washing is vital to help prevent harmful bacteria from spreading from people's hands to food
Food handling staff must report any illness likely to affect food safety to their manager or supervisor
Use this slide to summarise the main points of the presentation. 21