The importance of handwashing in food hygiene

In the office these past few months we’ve been focusing on our Food Safety and Hygiene training courses. Each of us has taken the Level 2 course in preparation for our quiz and we’ve had some fun playing with a ‘Wash and Glow’ unit.

A special hand cream enables the blue light to pick up all traces of bacteria and make them glow fluorescent green!  We’ve been testing to see if washing and sanitising your hands makes a difference to bacteria levels than washing alone. The result? It really does!

So, why is handwashing important in food hygiene?

There are many diseases that are spread solely through not washing your hands with soap and water.

Germs can get onto our hands after touching surfaces, using the toilet, handling nappies and touching raw meat, just to name a few. These germs can be passed from person to person and so on…

Therefore, when preparing food, it’s incredibly important that you do so with clean hands!

Handwashing with soap can remove the germs from your hands and this prevents infections because:

• Germs from unwashed hands are able to transfer to food and drink when people prepare or consume them. Some foods and drinks provide conditions for germs to multiply and in turn, make people sick.
• People touch their nose, eyes and mouth without realising and germs can get into your body through all of these passages.
• Germs can also be transferred through objects like handrails, tables, toys or door handles and therefore then transfer to other people’s hands.

Removing germs by washing your hands can help prevent diarrhoea, infections and other illnesses as well as maybe helping to prevent skin or eye infections too.

When should we wash our hands?

We should wash our hands:

• Before eating or cooking
• After cleaning around the house
• After touching animals (including pets)
• After using the bathroom
• Before/after visiting sick people
• After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
• After being outside in the garden, walking, etc.

It is important that when you are handling food, that you wash your hands both before you handle it and after, in order to not spread any infections or illnesses.

Our Food Safety & Hygiene Courses (Level 1 & Level 2) include information on personal hygiene, cross-contamination, cleanliness and the 4 C's of Food Safety. We also offer Food Allergy Awareness Training which focuses on what food allergies are, cross-contamination and the laws surrounding it.