Hand Washing & Glove Use for Food Workers - Questions and Answers. After handling raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs. Hand washing is an important practice for everyone, especially after visiting the store, shaking hands with people, touching hair, etc. Dr. Virk says the virus only lasts on objects, such as foods, for one to three days. 89% of foodborne illness outbreaks attributed to food handlers are caused by germs on hands. Some foods, such as canned foods, are free from bacteria before you eat them. Don’t cough, sneeze, spit or smoke near food and avoid touching your nose, teeth, ears and hair, or scratching when handling food. Many food service workers reported in another study that they don't always wash their hands or change their gloves when they should, including in the handling of raw meat. Never smoke in food areas. Even when you’re healthy, you carry germs on your hands. Another reason why hand sanitizers can't replace hand washing in food service has to do with the types of germs you're trying to kill. Before eating. For this reason, you should wash your hands before handling a baby. This is a common mistake which unknowingly increases your risk … What is the purpose of hand washing? The good news is that there is a simple solution to this problem: wash your hands, and wash them often! What is the main reason for washing hands and not touching ready-to-eat food with bare hands? Watch: Dr. Abinash Virk discusses COVID-19 and food safety Don’t brush or comb your hair when you are near food. This is especially true with restaurant employees who must also wash their hands after handling dirty dishes, raw meats, using the restroom and changing gloves. Before delving further into the subject of hand washing, it would be best to review the status of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code, which is oriented to the retail food sector. A copy of the Hand Washing & Glove Use for Workers brochure is available in English, Spanish and Chinese in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF, 416KB, 8pgs.).. thoroughly dry your hands with a single-use towel or hand dryer machine. "You must wash your hands immediately after using hand sanitizer, and before handling food—it will not diminish the virus killing effects," he says. When to wash your hands. "In that sense it is best to wash your hands before and after handling food and washing unpeeled fruits and vegetables before you eat them." Preparing Food. It is especially important to wash your hands before you handle any food or bottles for babies. wash and dry your hands thoroughly before handling food, and wash and dry them again frequently during work dry your hands with a clean towel, disposable paper towel or under an air dryer never smoke, chew gum, spit, change a baby’s nappy or eat in a food handling or food storage area Food-borne infections: After working on computers for hours, you forget to wash your hands before having your lunch. Here are some key times to wash in the kitchen: Before, during, and after preparing any food. The latest version of the Food Code was produced in 2009, but there are versions of the code dating back to 1993. Your hands can spread germs in the kitchen, so wash your hands often to prevent cross-contamination. Handwashing is especially important during key times when germs can spread. Do not handle food with bare hands – use gloves instead. Wash your hands frequently. 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