Posting 6 -Food Handlers

Food handlers work in the kitchen. They cook food and make sure it is safe. Safe food is food that is fit for us to eat. It does not make us sick. Food health standards are rules that you must follow. These rules make sure food is always safe to eat at all times. All food handlers must follow food safety standards.

On the other hand, unsafe food can make people sick. They may start to vomit and need to go to hospital. Many people have health problems after eating bad food.

Safe food does not cause harm to the people eating it. There are some people who can get sick after eating a certain food like peanuts. We say that those people are allergic to peanuts. There are other people who don’t eat certain foods because of their religions. Muslims, for example, don’t eat pork or ham. They don’t drink alcohol either.

To work as a food handler you must learn about food safety. You must have skills in food safety. You must also learn about food hygiene. You must make sure the food you cook is not contaminated.

When you store food, you must make sure it is below 5ºC or above 60ºC. This will kill bacteria and germs. If food is not safe to eat, throw it in the rubbish bin. If you serve bad food to customers, you can put their lives in danger.

Also if you buy food and found it to be bad, you can return it and get your money back. If you feel that you are sick, you must tell your supervisor. If you vomit at home, you have to tell your supervisor before you start work. Also don’t start handling food if you don’t feel that you have diarrhea. If you handle food when you are sick, you may make other people sick. Also if you think you have caused food contamination, tell your supervisor.

When you work in the kitchen you must make sure your clothes are clean. You must cover your hair with a cap. You must have an apron on to keep your clothes clean. You must have non-slip shoes on. You must wash your hands before you start handling food. If you sneeze, cough, use the toilet or blow your nose go and wash your hands.

Don’t spit on the floor in the kitchen. People will not feel happy if they see you spit on the floor. Also don’t smoke inside the kitchen. If you want to smoke, go outside and have a cigarette there. Don’t mix ready-to-eat food with raw food. If you have a break and come back to the kitchen, wash your hands before handling food. You can use warm running water to wash your hands. You can also use tap water to wash your hands.