Food Contamination: The Experience of Local Diner towards Food Mishandling

A Qualitative Research

Presented to the Research Committee of

Sto. Tomas College of Agriculture, Sciences and Technology

In Partial Fulfillment for the Requirements in

Technology Research 1 of

Bachelor of Technical Vocational-Teacher Education Department

Major: Food & Service Management

Presented by:

Aninon, Mhyl Dustin Rheo L.

Ramos, Mary Joy D.

Bordaje, April Rose D.

 Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

Food contamination is one of the major health problem in our country. Many people

suffer and die each year because of food contamination or mishandled food. Food

handlers with lack of personal hygiene could be the primary sources of infectious

diseases such as helminthes, protozoa, and pathogenic bacteria. Anyone who works in

a food and beverage facility who comes into contact with food, or with any equipment or

utensils that are likely to come into contact with food, such as cutlery, plates, bowls, or

chopping boards, is considered a food handler. Moreover, for better communication and

collaborative action, the Philippines can improve multi sector collaboration among public

health, agriculture, and other sectors. Risk communication and advocacy should be

improved at the household level to encourage consumers to be critical and adhere to

proper hygiene practices in order to reduce food safety hazards. Everyone’s business

and obligation is food safety. The government and food manufacturers are not the only

ones responsible for food safety, Jose Luis Fernandez (2019).

In the twenty-first century, food safety is of paramount importance. Food handlers

contribute to food contamination disease outbreaks, and food service establishments

are source of food transmitted infections. Food handling professionals, according to

WHO (1989), play a vital role in ensuring food safety throughout the food production

and storage chain. Food handlers’ carelessness and disrespect for hygienic precautions
may allow dangerous bacteria to come into touch with food, survive, and grow in

sufficient numbers to cause illness in the consumer.

FAO (1995) studies revealed a lack of knowledge and practices in food handling when

assessing microbiological contamination of food sold by vendors. Because of

inadequate personal hygiene or cross-contamination, food service staff’ hands can be

vectors in the transmission of food-borne infections. According to studies, the majority of

outbreaks are caused by poor food handling standards. Poor microbiological quality of

foods can be caused by a lack of basic infrastructure, a lack of hygiene expertise, a lack

of drinkable water, a lack of sufficient storage facilities, and unsuitable stings for food

operations (such as closeness to sewers and waste dumps). Additional dangers were

created by insufficient rubbish disposal facilities. Furthermore, unsanitary food storage,

handling, and preparation techniques might produce an atmosphere conducive to the

spread of disease.

Food safety amongst street food vendors are becoming a major public concern

especially in STO. TOMAS. Street food vendors serves their products to a wide range of

consumer from graders, to college students, and passersby. Street foods are therefore

prepared in an informal setting and informal food vendors are classified as informal

street food vendors. Street foods are cheap and delightful but if unsafe practices of

street food vendors in poor storage of food, reheating of food, insufficient hand washing

hygiene, and not proper way of cleaning the cooking utensils, these foods can become

hazardous to people’s health. Thus, this survey research aimed to assess the food

safety practices in terms of the hygienic practices, food preparation and processing,

food contamination prevention, and waste management of the street food vendors.
Calopez et al. (2017) found that the majority of street food vendors are extremely aware

of personal hygiene, food preparation, serving, and storing foods and knowledgeable on

food safety handling. They also found out that these vendors always practice food

safety practices in terms of the preparation, cooking, serving, personal hygiene and

storing.

Purpose of the Study

The goal of this academic endeavor is to know and document the experiences of

local diner regarding to food contamination. We want to know what steps they usually

do for them to be aware for the possible food contamination when they are eating out.

And we also aim to find out what safety measures do food handlers take in handling and

preparing meals for their costumer. Moreover, this research was look into restaurant

costumers’ opinions of food safety and compare them to those of other food system

actors. Finally, through this research, we can examine the food handlers’ current

handling practices.

Research Questions

Furthermore, the goal of this research is to gather information that will help in the

documentation of the experiences of local diner towards food mishandling. Specifically,

it sought to answer the following research questions:

1. What are the experiences of local diner towards mishandled food?

2. What are the safety measures do food handlers take in handling food?
 3. How do food handlers respond when a customer has a complaint?

Theoretical Lens

In this study, we conducted an interview in which we asked the participants to

share their experiences of dealing with food mishandling. However, Clayton and Griffith

(2008) have shown that knowledge-based training programs do not automatically

translate to safe food handling in the workplace. This has led to the call for the use of

behavioral science theories to help food handlers understand food hygiene behavior

(Rennie, 1995). The theoretical frameworks selected for this study were social cognition

theories that are used to explain how humans acquire and maintain certain behaviors.

Significant of Study

The result of the study would provide additional food safety practice, knowledge

and Public awareness through food mishandling. Controlling the quality, safety, and

economic aspects of any food-related industrial process is a key factor in the food

industry. Contaminants can be highly different, and based on the nature of the

incriminated variables, they are classified as physical, chemical, or biological agents.

Biological contaminants are common, and their effects on food range from spoiling to

degradation, resulting in a variety of unusable and dangerous products. Microorganisms

may play a variety of functions in food production and processing, with a variety of

species being used to create specific products, such as fermented meals.

Scope and limitation of the Study

This study is primarily focused on the assessment of the nutritional value in street

foods and the street vendor’s, professional and non-professional food handler’s

performance in terms of safety and quality of their products. The researchers aim to

describe the compliance of the street vendors and other food handlers in handling food

products according to the policies and protocol implemented by the Philippine National

Standard for Food Products in terms of nutrition and sanitation.

Definition of terms

Food contamination refers to foods that are spoiled or tainted because they

either contain microorganisms, such as bacteria or parasites, or toxic substances that

make them unfit for consumption. Microbial or environmental contamination of food can

occur, with the former being more common. Pesticides, heavy metals, and other

chemical agents are examples of environmental pollutants that can enter the food

supply chain. There are numerous ways for food to become contaminated throughout its

production and distribution. To begin, germs can be found in animals reared for food.

Cross-contamination from intestinal feces can cause meat and poultry to become

contaminated during slaughter. Similarly, if fresh fruits and vegetables are washed in

water tainted with animal dung or human waste, they might become infected.

Contamination from infected food workers is also a possibility during food processing.

Finally, poor household hygiene is a factor.

 Chapter 2

Review of Related literature

Food contamination is a severe public health problem around the world, resulting

in food-borne diseases that affect human beings every year. In this chapter we

concentrate on food contamination by microorganisms, chemicals, and physiological

factors. Most of the foods serve as the best media for the growth of diverse

microorganisms. Microorganisms that grow in foods may cause changes in appearance,

flavor, odor, and other features of the foods. The degradative changes produced by

microorganisms, such as putrefaction, fermentation, and rancidity, in addition to

degradation; microorganisms also synthesize the substances, such as pigments and

slimes, which also cause changes in food quality. Different types of contamination

mechanisms are involved in food contamination. Small factors that can cause food-

borne illness are storage and cooking temperatures, insufficient hand washing, and

animal waste. Microbes can be entered into food from humans who washed their hands

not systematically. Most kitchen tools and their surfaces contaminated by raw food

products. Replications of pathogens are present in food to cause diseases. In

conclusion, this chapter explores the possibilities of food contamination by various

methods. This chapter discusses elements of a microbial contamination and the need to

perform risk assessments, and additional areas of improvement in the preservation of

risks. It is one of the most serious consequences of environmental contamination and

currently the major source of human exposure. Food contamination can be classified as

biological, chemical, physical, or of cross-contamination nature. Briefly, biological

contamination is when food is contaminated with infectious bacteria (such

as Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes) or toxin-producing organisms (such

as Clostridium botulinum) and viruses (such as norovirus), which are a common cause

of food poisoning and food spoilage. During the cultivation and harvesting of raw

materials, storage and delivery to the industry, and processing into finished products,

food can get contaminated. Recontamination can also happen during transportation to

retail outlets and before consumption in homes and/or restaurants. Animals, surfaces,

the environment (air, water), and people who come into touch with foods are the most

common contamination vectors (food handlers). Contamination might also come from

processing conditions, packaging materials, and the equipment employed.

Microorganisms that survive on polluted surfaces may multiply to dangerous levels,

jeopardizing food quality and safety.

The high concentration of chemicals contained in edibles cause major health hazards,

therefore food contamination is a serious problem. Protecting the population from

varying degrees of tainted food toxicity has become a difficult issue. The causes, kinds,

and health effects of chemical contamination in food are discussed in this article. Food

contamination may be caused by naturally occurring contaminants in the environment or

by contaminants introduced purposefully by humans. Food contamination is also

caused through the stages of food production, packaging, transportation, and storage.

These chemical pollutants have serious health consequences, ranging from mild

gastroenteritis to deadly hepatic, renal, and neurological disorders. Although the

government regulates such chemicals in foods by prescribing minimum levels that are

acceptable for human consumption, additional steps must be done to completely

eliminate food contamination. As a result, a wide range of foods must be tested and

evaluated for chemical pollutants. The preventative actions relating to food

contamination issues are highlighted and explored.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized food contamination as a global

challenge in several documents and reports. It is clearly acknowledged in a statement:

“food contamination that occurs in one place may affect the health of consumers living

on the other side of the planet”. In fact, a vast majority of people experience a

foodborne or waterborne disease at some point in their lives worldwide. Therefore,

consumption of contaminated foods causes illness in millions of people and many die as

a result of it. This scenario makes “food contamination” a serious issue. The list of food

contamination challenges is very long and keeps growing. I would list three challenges,

fresh produce contamination, antibiotics in food products and intentional contamination

of foods, to highlight the importance of this topic.

Food contamination can occur in a variety of ways. This paper provides a broad

overview of the various phases involved in the production of food, from the receipt of

raw materials to the final consumption of food by customers. External raw food

contamination due to environmental contamination; b) Transport of raw materials to the

factory where they will be processed; c) Food conditioning, which includes raw material

storage, preheating, disinfection, cleaning, and sterilization steps; d) Heating steps,

which include boiling, cooking, baking, frying, or combining with other ingredients at h

The challenges associated with each stage, as well as the toxins that arise for the food,
are displayed and explained. Food contamination also can occur via insect feces in

situations where the insect(s) can deposit their feces (infected by T. cruzi) in food and/or

on food preparation surfaces. When exposed to the environment, feces infected with T.

cruzi undergo rapid dehydration with consequent death of parasite. Soares et

al. (1986) demonstrated that at low humidity, both motility and infectivity were lost within

30 min. At high humidity, the mobility and infectivity were preserved up to 30 min at

33 °C. Also, Soares and Marsden (1978) proved that T. cruzi can remain infective in

dead vector insects stored at temperatures of 10 °C for 6 days and between 26 and

30 °C for at least 2 months.

Additionally, food contamination can occur by squashing of the insect(s) with food

ingredients, especially for fruits, in which case entire insects are squashed in the

process of pressing fruit juice. This is the main hypothesis for several outbreaks that

occurred in Brazilian Amazon associated with açaí juice (Valente et al., 2002).

In açai fruit, T. cruzi can be viable, at room temperature, for up to 9 h after

contamination (Neves et al., 2007) and in açaí pulp for up to 28 h after contamination

(Dias et al., 2008b).

Foodborne illness is caused by consuming contaminated foods or beverages. It is a

sickness caused by consuming tainted food. The development of symptoms can range

from minutes to weeks, and the afflicted person may have symptoms such as nausea,

vomiting, diarrhea, or fever. Many people may not realize that the sickness is caused by

harmful bacteria or other pathogens in food because the symptoms are typically flu-like.

Many different disease-causing microbes or pathogens can contaminate foods, so there

are many different types of foodborne illnesses. Most foodborne diseases are infections
caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Other diseases are poisonings

caused by harmful toxins or chemicals that have contaminated food. Many foodborne

pathogens also can be acquired through recreational or drinking water, from contact

with animals or their environment, or through person-to-person spread. Everyone is at

risk for getting a foodborne illness. However, some people are at greater risk for

experiencing a more serious illness or even death should they get a foodborne illness.

Those at greater risk are infants, young children, pregnant women and their unborn

babies, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems (such as those with

HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, and transplant patients.) Some people may

become ill after ingesting only a few harmful bacteria; others may remain symptom free

after ingesting thousands.

Foodborne illness is a preventable public health challenge. To prevent foodborne

illnesses do not consume food or beverages while preparing food, the potential for

cross-contamination occurs while eating or drinking during the food prep process. When

the hands touch the mouth area while eating, or the hands touch the lip of a glass

where the mouth touched, and then your hands touch the food again the opportunity

exists to pass germs and bacteria. Use multiple cutting boards, consistently use

dedicated cutting boards for different types of food. Using one for raw beef, one for raw

poultry, one for produce and one for dry goods prevents each food group from coming

in contact with another food's Bacteria. Wash each board thoroughly after each use.

Don't forget about your refrigerator, when defrosting foods like raw beef or poultry in

your refrigerator, place them on a drip catching tray, on the lowest shelf available.
Potentially hazardous foods should not be placed higher than other foods in the fridge,

because the blood drippings created can drip onto and contaminate other foods below.

Use multiple towels, do not use the same dish towel for wiping hands and countertops if

you are working with foods that are potentially hazardous. Bacteria on the towel can be

transferred again later onto hands or around surfaces. Also be careful when wearing an

apron as they can also collect and transfer bacteria when you absentmindedly wipe

hands on it repeatedly. Wash your hands, Good hand washing practices cannot be

stressed enough. Be mindful of when you need to wash your hands during the food

preparation process.

Although foodborne illness is preventable, more than 56,000 people per year become ill

creating high economic costs, loss of productivity and reduced quality of life for many.

Experts agree that the home is the primary location where foodborne outbreaks occur;

however, many consumers do not believe the home to be a risky place. Health care

professionals need to be aware of consumers’ food safety attitudes and behaviors in the

home and deliver tailored food safety interventions that are theory-based. Thus, the

purpose of this paper is to synthesize/summarize the food safety literature by examining

the following: consumers’ perceptions and attitudes towards food safety and their

susceptibility to foodborne illness in the home, work, and school; common risky food

safety practices and barriers to handling food safely; and the application of theory-

based food safety interventions. Findings will help healthcare professionals become

more aware of consumers’ food safety attitudes and behaviors and serve to inform

future food safety interventions.

Many parts of the developing world today, foodborne diseases and their prevention are

still poorly understood. Even public health authorities are not fully cognizant of the

potentially enormous health and economic burden that foodborne diseases place on

their societies. While developed countries are moving toward strengthening the food

safety assurance programs for their food supply systems, consumer food hygiene

education is also receiving greater attention since unsafe practices in the home

contribute to a large proportion of foodborne disease prevalence in developed countries

(Redmond and Griffith 2003).

In developing countries, where controls by the food industry and government oversight

are often inadequate, the role of the community and individuals in ensuring food

hygiene is all the more important. This review examines the key priority food hygiene

problems and critical actions to improve food hygiene in developing countries and

evaluates available intervention studies that were aimed at specific critical actions in the

handling of food in the home. An attempt has been made to navigate through the many

factors and considerations in order to formulate recommendations for effective and

sustainable food hygiene interventions that may be considered by donors,

policymakers, and decision makers at the local, national and international levels.

Unsafe food poses global health threats, endangering everyone. Infants, young

children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with an underlying illness are

particularly vulnerable. Every year 220 million children contract diarrheal diseases and

96 000 die. Unsafe food creates a vicious cycle of diarrhea and malnutrition, threatening

the nutritional status of the most vulnerable.

The International Conference on Food Safety held in Addis Ababa in February 2019,

and the International Forum on Food Safety and Trade held in Geneva in 2019,

reiterated the importance of food safety in achieving the Sustainable Development

Goals. Governments should make food safety a public health priority, as they play a

pivotal role in developing policies and regulatory frameworks, and establishing and

implementing effective food safety systems.

Food can become contaminated at any point of production and distribution, and the

primary responsibility lies with food producers. Yet a large proportion of foodborne

disease incidents are caused by foods improperly prepared or mishandled at home, in

food service establishments or at markets. Not all food handlers and consumers

understand the roles they must play, such as adopting basic hygienic practices when

buying, selling and preparing food to protect their health and that of the wider

community.

Responsibility for food safety is shared between governments, industry and food

handlers (including consumers). Human error, especially in relation to cross-

contamination, is critical and is reduced by using a good management system. This

must be embedded within a positive food safety culture. These concepts are explored

from manufacturing through food service to the home. Theoretical behavioral models

can be used both to understand why food handlers do not always implement the

practices they know and to improve food handler and consumer behavior.

A food handler is someone who works with food or with surfaces that will come into

touch with food, such as silverware, plates, and bowls. They may be involved in raw
material preparation, cooking, packing, storage, showcasing, serving, and utensil

cleaning. They play a vital role in the farm-to-fork chain. To ensure food safety, they

must have appropriate hand-washing habits, personal hygiene, clean working clothes,

follow food-hygiene procedures at work, and undergo frequent training. Food handling

limitations must be applied during illness. At work, they are exposed to a variety of

physical, chemical, biologic, mechanical, and psychosocial health risks. To ensure

appropriate work practices, food handlers must receive adequate food-safety training.

The main causes of reported foodborne illnesses are due to foods being mishandled.

Potentially hazardous foods are foods that are capable of supporting growth of disease-

causing microorganisms. These types of foods are usually high in protein and moisture

and have a pH >4.6. Mishandling of potentially hazardous foods can contribute to

foodborne illness. About 20% of all foodborne outbreaks are attributed to poor personal

hygiene due to an infected person touching the food. Cross-contamination can be

attributed to about 14% of all foodborne outbreaks (includes improper cleaning).

Temperature abuse, including improper heating and holding of a food is by far the most

common factor leading to foodborne illness. Nearly all foodborne illness can be in some

way linked to temperature abuse.

Personal hygiene also includes clothing and other personal items (like jewelry) that a

food handler may be wearing while on the job. Proper use of hair restraints and gloves

are a part of good personal hygiene. Careful control and knowledge of personal health

and certain personal habits, such as eating, drinking, and smoking, are also important in

reducing the likelihood of foodborne illness. Handling and preparing foods with hand

contact is a common way to transfer foodborne hazards to and from foods. It is

important to ensure that the hands of a food handler are kept clean before, during, and

after handling foods. There are several personal habits that are not appropriate and can

lead to unsafe food. Body fluids can be a significant source of harmful microorganisms

and can easily be transferred to a food. If an employee is ill and is coughing, sneezing,

or has discharges from the eyes, nose, or mouth, this individual should not work with

exposed foods. If the employee is insistent about working, be sure that he/she has no

contact (direct or indirect) with food. Eating, drinking, and using tobacco should be

prohibited while working with an exposed food. All of these practices could transfer

harmful microorganisms from a person’s mouth to an exposed food. Handling of

animals is strictly prohibited within a food retail establishment. If an employee touches

an animal, hands should be cleaned and sanitized immediately. Food safety begins with

and relies on the cleanliness of the food handler.

According to Trickett J. (1992) Personal Hygiene for Food Handlers. The hands are in

direct contact with food during its preparation and are frequently responsible for

transferring bacteria to high-risk foods. To avoid cross-contaminating foods, food

handlers should wash their hands frequently throughout the working day. Hands must

be washed with hot water and liquid soap in basins specifically provided for this purpose

(never at sinks allocated for food preparation). Nails must be kept short, as bacteria

tend to collect under them, and they should be scrubbed with a clean, nylon-bristled

nailbrush each time the hands are washed. Nail varnish should not be used. Hands

must be thoroughly dried by using disposable paper towels, a hot air dryer or a

continuous roller towel.

Today's food safety experts and enforcement authorities believe that microbiological

deterioration and contamination are the leading causes of foodborne illness. Pathogen

contamination of food is one of the most serious and expensive health risks in the world.

A relationship with food Microbial infections in food are responsible for an estimated 6.5-

33 million cases of food poisoning per year. Each year, up to 9000 people die in a single

country as a result of human illness. There are over 40 distinct foodborne illnesses.

Food safety control measures are almost certainly as old as human history itself. Food

can be mishandled at any number of places during food preparation, cooking and

storage, and evidence indicates that consumers have inadequate knowledge about the

measures needed to prevent foodborne illness in the home. Consumers are the

important final link in the food chain to assure safe food consumption. Multiple food

safety responsibilities are required during home food preparation and failure to assume

personal responsibility for food safety at home may result in increased potential for

unsafe food-handling behaviors and consequential increased risks of illness.

The food safety knowledge of the consumers is associated with their current practices,

which in turn affects the willingness to change current practices, if it is learned that

current practices are unsafe. However, actual food handling practices are known to

differ from self-reported practices. World Health Organization reported that particular

attention should be given to the importance of time and temperature control, personal

hygiene, cross contamination, sources of contamination and the factors determining the

survival growth of pathogenic organisms in food. Food behaviors and breaches of good

hygiene practice can predispose consumers to a number of health consequences.

Information on actual consumer behavior in relation to purchasing, transporting, storing,

preparing and consuming food is essential to develop and underpin food safety

promotional activities. From a consumer perspective the main food safety behaviors

associated with foodborne illness are inadequate washing of hands, utensils, chopping

boards and dishcloths, inadequate washing of fruit and vegetables, improper storing,

chilling and cooking of meat and chicken, cross-contamination of ready-to-eat foods and

consumption of raw contaminated foods.

Food safety experts believe sporadic cases and small outbreaks at home are far more

common than those cases constituting recognized outbreaks (Institute of Food

Technologist’s Expert Panel on Food Safety and Nutrition 1995). If consumers

misperceive the origin and severity of foodborne illness, they are less motivated to

change. Motivation to practice safe food handling requires a belief that someone is

harmed by not doing so, and that new behavior will prevent illness (Schafer et al. 1993).

The failure to associate at-home food handling practices with foodborne illness is a

serious impediment to convincing people to discontinue potentially hazardous food

handling behavior (Fein et al. 1995). This study was undertaken to determine the

prevalence of specific potentially hazardous food handling practices so they could be

targeted by educational programming.

Food safety knowledge is important to prevent foodborne illness. Prevention of

foodborne illnesses is one of the primary responsibilities of the foodservice industry

(Cushman, Shanklin, & Niehoff, 2001). It is the managers´ responsibility to ensure the

safety of food prepared and served to customers. Retail foodservice operations often

produce large quantities of different types of food in the same area, which creates a risk

environment for outbreaks of foodborne disease. Foods can become contaminated at

any link of the food chain, from production to service. The majority of foodborne

illnesses have been linked to foods prepared in retail foodservice operations and

caused by human error at some point in the food chain. Identifying foodservice

employees´ knowledge, attitudes, and practices is essential to assure food safety in

retail foodservice operations and prevent the occurrence of foodborne illnesses, a

health public problem.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), food safety is defined as the conditions

and measures that are necessary during the production, processing, storage,

distribution, and preparation of food to ensure that it is safe, sound, and wholesome,

and fit for human consumption. Food safety is essential to prevent foodborne illness and

enhance the well-being of humans. Globally, foodborne related illnesses have increased

over the years and negatively affected the health and economic well-being of many

developing and developed countries. Nowadays, lack of food safety measures is a

major public health problem in many parts of the world.

Proper food handling practices can significantly reduce the risk of foodborne illness. A

basic knowledge of the keys to safer food will help you protect the health of your family,

friends, customers and the reputation of your food business. Food is handled by a large

number of people, raising the risk of contamination from incorrect handling.

Contamination of food during large-scale production, whether intentional or

unintentional, might put customers' health at risk and cost a country a lot of money. The

goal of this study was to assess institutional food handlers' food safety knowledge,

attitudes, and practices.

Food safety knowledge is important to prevent foodborne illness. Prevention of

foodborne illnesses is one of the primary responsibilities of the foodservice industry

(Cushman, Shanklin, & Niehoff, 2001). It is the managers´ responsibility to ensure the

safety of food prepared and served to customers. Retail foodservice operations often

produce large quantities of different types of food in the same area, which creates a risk

environment for outbreaks of foodborne disease. Foods can become contaminated at

any link of the food chain, from production to service. The majority of foodborne

illnesses have been linked to foods prepared in retail foodservice operations and

caused by human error at some point in the food chain. Identifying foodservice

employees´ knowledge, attitudes, and practices is essential to assure food safety in

retail foodservice operations and prevent the occurrence of foodborne illnesses, a

health public problem. Even though there might be some cultural differences identifying

food safety practices in Costa Rica, will provide information about food safety training

needs on a developing country.

Good personal hygiene is essential for any food handler and minimizes the risk of food

contamination. Most people carry harmful bacteria on their bodies and can unwittingly

transport them to food. Touching your mouth, nose, hair or even your clothing can

spread bacteria and cause contamination. Even healthy people are not immune and

must practice good personal hygiene to minimize this risk.

Food safety and hygiene is of utmost importance for businesses, as it helps to protect

the health of consumers from foodborne illnesses and food poisoning. Food poisoning

occurs when food becomes contaminated by bacteria, viruses and other germs, making

those who consume the contaminated food very ill. Typically, food poisoning can be
treated at home within a week, but sometimes food poisoning can be serious and

require urgent medical attention. Therefore, knowing how to protect consumers from

food poisoning is essential. A safe and hygienic workplace helps to create a productive

workforce, therefore creating a food safety and hygiene policy will ensure all employees

know how to contribute to appropriate work practices.

Ensure the area which you are working in is clean and hygienic. This involves

thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing the workspace, utensils and equipment prior to

cooking, in-between cooking tasks and after cooking.

Proper food hygiene is very important when it comes to food preparation. Without

washing hands and kitchen tools, diseases may easily spread. In some places though,

this crucial matter is not always known and is unfortunately taken lightly. Since cross –

contamination is a major cause of food poisoning and can transfer bacteria from one

food item to other foods, it is crucial to be aware of how it spreads so you will know how

to prevent it. Cross contamination and ways of prevention is already been mentioned

above.

Professional and non-professional food handlers must understand and implement

improper food hygiene techniques. If you want to be a healthy and professional food

handler, simply identifying to do’s and don’ts alone is not enough. You need to take

classes and properly certified in order to prepare food professionally.

 Chapter 3

Methodology

Research Design