In this lesson, we are going to take what we have learnt and apply it to the work place.
We will look at the tools and controls that food handlers and manufacturers can apply to produce clean and safe food for consumption.
Contamination Sources – Recap from Lesson One
When handling food it is important to remember the different sources of food hazards / contamination:
Physical – Physical objects that are present in or around the processing area
Chemical – Any chemical or substance that is not meant to be the food and includes Allergens
Biological – Micro organisms and their byproducts that are hard to see with the naked eye
The key to keeping food safe to consume, is to control or minimise the chances of cross contamination from the above.
Refresh your knowledge on the sources of contamination by completing the following activity.
Let’s look at the tools we can use to reduce the likelihood of contamination:
Personal Hygiene
A food handler must maintain a high level of personal hygiene and follow safe habits to protect the community.
Some Do’s and Don’ts to maintain good hygiene and minimise cross contamination are:
Do
- Wash your hands regularly with soap and warm running water
- Wear clean clothing and or an apron.
- Wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as hair nets and gloves to minimise cross contamination with hair and other contaminants
- Minimise unnecessary contact with food
- Cover wounds with waterproof bandages
Do not
- Work if you are sick – especially if you have vomiting, diarrhea, fever, a sore throat with a fever
- Touch your mouth, nose and eyes
- Wear jewellery that could cause contamination
- Wear false nails or painted finger nails
- Wear strong smelling scents
- Sneeze, cough or blow over unprotected food or surfaces
- Spit, smoke or use tobacco where food is handled
Complete the following exercise, where you will need to select (click on) all of the hygiene practices that you need to avoid when handling food.
Hand Washing
Hands can become a major source of contamination and a food handler needs to be aware of good practices when it comes to hand hygiene.
Watch the following video which takes you through how to wash hands effectively and other good hygiene practices.
Source: Qld Health – Handwash Hygiene
Your company may have a slightly different set up for washing hands, be sure to follow your companies process and guidelines.
Complete the following activity where you need to arrange the steps of washing your hands into the correct sequence.
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
What are Good Manufacturing Practices?
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are a set of industry best practices that are used to reduce contamination
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) provide guidelines and standards on personal hygiene as well as process hygiene and design. GMP can also help with food processing equipment and premises design and construction to minimise sources of contamination.
- We use GMP and hygiene standards to maintain a high level of hygiene for food handlers and food premises
- We also use Pre Requisite programs to strengthen the effectiveness of GMP. More on this in the section below.
- Ask your company for the GMP rules or the GMP manual / procedure for your facility to ensure you follow the best practices.
What are Pre Requisite Programs?
- Food manufacturing companies use pre requisite programs (specific sets of controls) to help control the most common hazards that are encountered when manufacturing food.
- Each program is aimed at reducing the likelihood of a specific type of Hazard impacting the food safety of the food being produced.
- A simple example of a pre requisite programs is pest control. Manufacturers use different barriers and pest control activities to reduce the presence of pest and cross contamination risks. All of the pest control activities together makes up the pest control program.
- The following figure lists some of the more common pre requisite programs that food manufacturers use.
Demonstrate your knowledge of pre requisite programs by dragging and dropping the relevant hazard into the correct control program.
Internal Review of Good Manufacturing Practices and Pre Requisite Programs
Most food manufacturers will have review system in place that checks on the effectiveness of the GMP and Pre Requisite programs. Specially trained staff will perform on line inspections, looking for food safety hazards and if the programs are being implemented effectively.
How do I do my Part?
In summary, as a food handler, you can keep food safe by doing the following:
- Apply good personal hygiene
- Follow good manufacturing practices
- Follow relevant company procedures (includes all pre requisite programs)
- Report any suspected contamination
- Keep learning and asking questions on how you can apply best practices
