1. Personal Hygiene in Food Production
Section 2 - Module 3
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

2. Personal Hygiene: Presentation Outline
Food handlers as a key element in the contamination paths of food
Behaviour patterns and facilities that improve food safety
Managing personal hygiene
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

3. Without personal hygiene there is no food safety
Food handlers can contaminate food
Prevention must focus on personnel
personal cleanliness
illness
behaviour
Foodborne illness outbreaks have been linked to food contaminated by food handlers.
Healthy humans are covered with bacteria. Therefore personal cleanliness, illness monitoring, and teaching correct behaviour of personnel is crucial.
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

4. A healthy human is covered with microorganisms
in the nose
in the mouth
on the skin
on hair (incl. beards and mustaches)
under the nails
Healthy humans are covered with bacteria. Certain resident bacteria are part of the natural skin flora. In addition, transient microorganisms reside for a short time on the skin after the skin has come into contact with contaminated surfaces or objects. Both transient and resident microorganisms can be transferred by humans to food and food production utensils.
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

5. The human gastro-intestinal tract excretes microorganisms
excretion
1 kg
Not only is the skin covered with microorganisms but also the human gut
The adult gastro-intestinal tract contains over 1kg of gut bacteria.
Humans excrete fecal bacteria with every defecation.
Gut bacteria are considered healthy and necessary for digestion but some of them are potentially pathogenic.
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

6. Ill people shed pathogenic microorganisms
shedding starts
pathogens continue to be shed!
illness ends
People shed pathogenic bacteria and viruses before they have major symptoms of illness.
Food workers can become permanent carries of pathogens and yet exhibit no signs of illness. A known example are Salmonella carriers.
Ill people and permanent carriers are a major threat to food safety.
time
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

7. Wounds shed pathogenic microorganisms
wound healed
Open wounds can shed high amounts of bacteria and the shedding will continue until the wound is healed.
A person with an open wound must not handle food. Unprotected bandages can also contaminate food.
Food handlers with wounds should cover affected area with a clean bandage, and cover the bandage with a finger cot, or a disposable glove.
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Personal Hygiene in Food Production

8. Personal Hygiene in Food Production
Only minute amounts of certain pathogens can cause infections in humans
Infections occur easily when just one food handler does not observe hand hygiene rules.
Campylobacter jejuni and Hepatitis A are two examples of pathogens that are infective in minute doses.
Infections can therefore occur easily when just one food handler does not observe hand hygiene rules.
Even if someone seems to have clean hands they might be infecting the food they are preparing.
The image shows a close up of single colonies of Campylobacter jejuni . The infective dose of Campylobacter is very small, only 500 cells of this pathogen can cause human illness.
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

9. Both direct and indirect routes of contamination exist
Direct Indirect
Direct contamination involves transfer of microorganisms from people to food through direct physical contact.
Indirect contamination is possible by various pathways. In the above image the knife and the board might have been in contact with raw poultry harbouring Campylobacter and would then contaminate the tomato.
Indirect contamination (or cross-contamination) occurs in food premises because of ignorance, inadequate space, poor design and bad food handling practices by staff.
Cross contamination may be prevented by following some simple but effective rules such as:
Keeping raw and cooked foods separate, Keeping food covered, not using the same equipment or surfaces for cutting or preparing raw food then cooked food, washing hands after handling waste food and/or raw food.
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

10. Personal Hygiene in Food Production
The fecal-oral route is the primary route of infection for foodborne microorganisms
The diagram shows the indirect fecal-oral infection routes.
The primary source of contamination is human or animal feces. Due to unhygienic practices the contamination is spread to fingers, into water or comes into contact with pests.
Everyday objects, foods, and utensils are then contaminated and at the last stage the contaminant is ingested by a person.
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

11. Personal Hygiene: Presentation Outline
Food handlers as a key element in the contamination paths of food
Behaviour patterns and facilities that improve food safety
Managing personal hygiene
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

12. Washing hands is the most important food poisoning prevention
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Washing hands the right way only requires three elements:
running water,
soap, and
something to dry hands with.
Every person engaged in or who enters a food handling area should wash his/her hands frequently and thoroughly with a suitable hand cleaning preparation under running, potable water.
Careful washing includes scrubbing palms, back of hands, between fingers, under nails.
Essential aspects that trainers will find useful to confidently teach trainees the importance of hand-washing can be found in the supporting document “Presenting principles and challenges of hand hygiene”
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

13. Hands need to be washed regularly
and immediately
before working with food
after using toilet
after handling rubbish/waste
after smoking, coughing, sneezing, using tissue, eating, drinking, smoking
after touching hair or scalp or mouth
Food handlers should always wash their hands:
immediately before working with food
after using toilet
after handling rubbish/waste
after smoking, coughing, sneezing, using tissue, eating, drinking, smoking
after touching hair or scalp or mouth
Sanitizers only are effective on washed hands and do not replace hand washing
Please refer to the supporting document “Presenting principles and challenges of hand hygiene”
Sanitizers do not replace hand washing
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

14. Gloves are not cleaner than hands
Change gloves as often as you should wash your hands!
The use of gloves do not fully protect hands from bacterial contamination, and glove contamination is almost as high as ungloved hand contamination.
Further information is provided in the supporting document “Presenting principles and challenges of hand hygiene”
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

15. A special dress code is required for EVERYONE who enters a food-handling area
cover hair
EVERYONE:
food handlers
visitors
management
contractors
auditors
cover beards
no jewelry
Everyone who enters a food-handling area should maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and, where appropriate, wear suitable protective clothing, head covering, and footwear. Cuts and wounds should be covered by suitable waterproof dressings.
These rules apply to EVERYONE entering the food handling area. Exceptions must not be tolerated otherwise the strict rules personnel must adhere to will not make sense to them.
clean shoes
clean protective clothing
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

16. Hairnets and coats for visitors must be available at the entrance to production areas
cupboard with hairnets and coats
If you want personnel to wear hairnets and visitors to comply with your hygiene dress-code you need to have coats and hairnets available at relevant entries to production areas.
Depicted is a layout of a food producing factory with hairnets and coats correctly provided on the way in to the production area.
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

17. Forbidden behaviour in a food-handling environment
People engaged in food handling activities should refrain from behaviour which could result in contamination of food, which includes:
• smoking;
• spitting;
• chewing or eating;
• sneezing or coughing over unprotected food.
In addition, Personal items such as jewels, watches, radios and telephones are a source of contamination and therefore do not belong in areas of higher hygiene. Advise visitors who are not familiar with these rules prior to their visit about the rules. This will prevent uncomfortable situations of having to ask important people to remove their expensive jewellery. Auditors sometimes leave on their watches on purpose to see if the rules are followed through with.
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

18. Personal hygiene can only ever be as good as the provided facilities
Dirty facilities
Clean facilities
Requiring personnel to adhere to strict hygiene rules will not work if facilities are not clean. Toilets in food production sites must be kept very clean.
clean facilities improve hygiene behaviour
dirty facilities will lead to lower levels of hygiene
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

19. Changing rooms, toilets and hand-washing facilities must be provided and kept cleanHW
Office/
Canteen
Visitors
Production
Bottling
4°C
-18°C
Water-Prep.
Washing
2 toilets with sinks
changing room
3 hand-washing stations
Without adequate facilities personnel will not implement recommended levels of personal hygiene. Depicted is a layout of a food producing factory with adequate facilities that are correctly positioned.
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

20. Personal Hygiene: Presentation Outline
Food handlers as a key element in the contamination paths of food
Behaviour patterns and facilities that improve food safety
Managing personal hygiene
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

21. Personal hygiene is a management responsibility
Financial means
Management is responsible for providing
Clear guidance
Financial means to provide facilities and resources (human and technical) to ensure GHP.
Clear guidance about expected personnel hygiene behaviour (including how to deal with sickness, absence due to sickness, disregard of hygiene rules, responsibilities, etc.).
Hygiene culture through clear commitment to GHP, visible support of QS personnel, requirement to adhere to hygiene rules for all hierarchy levels.
CULTURE
Hygiene culture
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

22. Actively communicate personal hygiene directives
Develop documented directives on personal hygiene
Communicate directives to all personnel, contractors and visitors
keep directives short and concise
if necessary, read and explain directives to personnel
The importance of personal hygiene as one of the essential parts of a GMP programme has been explained in the module Introduction to Food Safety and Quality.
Directives on personal hygiene must be documented. Documents should
be concise and instructive
contain clear control measures and responsibilities,
be distributed, and if necessary read, to all personnel (including management, administration) as well as to contractors and visitors (in a shortened version)
Documentation must cover ways of dealing with every day challenges (i.e. compliance with protective clothing) as well as situations of emergency such as illness and accidents.
An example of a guidance document for developing good operating practice procedures in personal hygiene and behaviour is provided by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority.
Please refer to the supporting document “Developing Written Personal Hygiene Instructions”
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

23. Personal Hygiene in Food Production
Controlled access and instantly visible signalling support personal hygiene behaviour
In addition to documenting and communicating expected hygienic behaviour the following measures of control to ensure compliance of staff, contractors and visitors with hygiene requirements are:
controlled entry into food production sites
instructions and visible signalling throughout premises.
These control measures are further discussed in the Design and Facilities module
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

24. Maintaining control over the health of food handlers
Results of medical screening can lead to a false sense of security.
Being afraid of losing a job due to health status will prevent people from being honest about their health.
A vigilant supervisor is probably the most effective means of keeping ill workers from contact with food.
WHO report "Health surveillance and management procedures for food-handling personnel“ provides current international guidance on managing personnel hygiene.
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

25. Hygiene management of personnel starts from day one
Ask about:
last illness with diarrhea or vomiting
skin trouble anywhere on body
discharges from eye, ear, mouth
digestion problems
medical history re typhoid/paratyphoid
Employee health status should be brought up at the point of employment. Inform new employee that sick food-handlers can transmit diseases to customers.
Ask about:
last illness with diarrhea or vomiting
skin trouble anywhere on body
discharges from eye, ear, mouth
digestion problems
medical history re typhoid/paratyphoid
Provide first hygiene training prior to uptake of work.
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

26. Adequate behavior must be taught and controlled
Training
Regular training sessions are necessary to create a stable level of personal hygiene. In addition, regular controls are required to monitor the compliance with regulations
Provide first hygiene training prior to uptake of work.
The supporting document “Training Personal Hygiene” aims to provide trainers and especially personnel responsible for hygiene training in food production with an idea about managing short training sessions, session contents and documentation format.
Controls
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

27. Training starts on day one and needs regular repeating
good hygiene
date of hiring
frequent training will lead to high levels of personal hygiene
repeat trainings
frequent (every two months or even more frequent) short (1/4 hour) training sessions are known to be most effective in maintaining high personnel hygiene levels. Check the Section on “Providing Effective Training” for more guidance.
infrequent training will lead to low levels of personal hygiene
bad hygiene
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Personal Hygiene in Food Production

28. Correct people BUT ALSO give praise
A personal thank-you from a supervisor for correct behaviour works wonders.
Praise personnel when things are done correctly.
This part tends to get forgotten and people tire of constantly being told what was done wrongly.
Personal Hygiene in Food Production

29. Personal hygiene in food production: Conclusions
Food handlers with unhygienic behavior can contaminate food through indirect paths of contamination.
Washing hands is the most effective way to stop the spread of microorganisms.
Ill people must be prevented from handling food.
Personal hygiene can only ever be as good as the provided facilities.
Personal hygiene must be taught and controlled.
Humans shed microorganisms and can contaminate food through unhygienic behavior.
Food handlers need to be aware of indirect paths of contamination.
Washing hands is the most effective way to stop the spread of microorganisms.
Hygienic behavior includes the wearing of clean protective clothing and avoiding activities such as eating near unprotected food products.
Ill people must be prevented from handling food.
Personal hygiene is a management responsibility and directives must be documented in a GMP programme.
Personal hygiene can only ever be as good as the provided facilities.
Hygienic behavior must be taught and controlled.
Personal Hygiene in Food Production 29

30. Personal Hygiene in Food Production
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Personal Hygiene in Food Production