PERSONAL

HIGIENE IN FISH
FOOD
PRODUCTION

AQUATIC PRODUCT TECHNOLOGY

FACULTY OF FISHERIES AND MARINE

UNIVERSITAS AIRLANGGA

2023
 • Foodborne illness outbreaks have been linked
to food contaminated by food handlers.
• Healthy humans are covered with bacteria.
Certain resident bacteria are part of the
natural skin flora. In addition, transient
microorganisms reside for a short time on the
skin after the skin has come into contact with
contaminated surfaces or objects.
• Both transient and resident microorganisms
can be transferred by humans to food and
food production utensils.

Without personal
hygiene there is
no food safety
The human gastro-intestinal tract excretes
microorganisms

• The adult gastro-intestinal tract

contains over 1 kg of gut bacteria.
• Humans excrete fecal bacteria with
every defecation.
• Gut bacteria are considered healthy
and necessary for digestion but some
of them are potentially pathogenic
People shed pathogenic microorganisms

• People shed pathogenic bacteria and

viruses before they have major
symptoms of illness.
• Food workers can become permanent
carries of pathogens and yet exhibit no
signs of illness. A known example are
Salmonella carriers.
• Ill people and permanent carriers are a
major threat to food safety.
Wounds shed pathogenic microorganisms

• Open wounds can shed high amounts

of bacteria and the shedding will
continue until the wound is healed.
• A person with an open wound must not
handle food. Wounds must be
bandaged to ensure that food are not
contaminated
Only minute amounts of certain pathogens are
necessary to cause infections

• Campylobacter jejuni and Hepatitis A

are two examples of pathogens that are
infective in minute doses.
• Infections can therefore occur easily
when just one food handler does not
observe hand hygiene rules.
• Even if someone seems to have clean
hands they might be infecting the food
they are preparing.
 Both direct and indirect routes of
contamination exist
direct
indirect

Indirect contamination is possible

Direct contamination involves
transfer of microorganisms from
people to food through direct
physical contact.
by various pathways. In the above
image the knife and the board
might have been in contact with
raw poultry harbouring
Campylobacter and would then
contaminate the tomato.
The fecal-oral route is the
primary route of infection for
foodborne microorganisms

ü The fecal-oral route of contamination

refers to contaminations where the
primary source of contamination is
human or animal feces.
ü Due to unhygienic practices the
contamination is spread to fingers, into
water or comes into contact with pests.
ü The infections then can quickly spread to
everyday objects, foods, and utensils.
ü At the last stage the contaminant is
ingested by a person.
 The
contamination
paths of the
fecal-oral route
are complex
Washing hands is the most
important food poisoning
prevention

• Washing hands the right way

only requires three elements:
ü running water,
ü soap, and
ü something to dry hands with.

• Careful washing includes scrubbing palms,

back of hands, between fingers, under
nails.
• The correct washing of hands takes time!
 Hands need to be washed regularly
immediately
übefore working with food
üafter using toilet
üafter handling rubbish/waste
üafter smoking, coughing, sneezing,
üusing tissue, eating, drinking, smoking
üafter touching hair or scalp or mouth

If hands are unclean, sanitizers are not effective. Sanitizers do not replace hand
washing for food operators!
Gloves are
not cleaner
than hands
A special dress code is required
for EVERYONE who enters a food-
handling area

EVERYONE:
ü food handlers
ü Visitors
ü Management
ü Contractors
ü auditors
Hairnets and coats for visitors must be
available at the entrance to production areas
If you want
personnel to wear
hairnets and visitors
to comply with your
hygiene dress-code
you need to have
coats and hairnets
available at relevant
entries to
production areas.
Depicted is a layout
of a food producing
factory with hairnets
and coats correctly
provided on the way
in to the processing area.
Forbidden behaviour in a food-handling
environment

Personal items such as jewels,

No sneezing into food. No eating,
watches, radios and telephones
spitting, smoking, chewing gum or
are a source of contamination.
tobacco near open food.
They do not belong in areas of
higher hygiene.
Personal hygiene
can only ever be as
good as the
provided facilities
Changing rooms, toilets and hand-washing
facilities must be provided and kept clean

• Without adequate facilities personnel

will not implement recommended
levels of personal hygiene.
• Depicted is a layout of a food producing
factorywith adequate facilities that are
correctly positioned
Managing
Personal
Higiene
Actively communicate personal hygiene
directives

The importance of personal hygiene as one of the essential parts of a GMP programme has been explained in the module Introduction to Food Safety and Quality.

Directives on personal hygiene must be documented.

Documents should
ü be concise and instructive

ü contain clear control measures and responsibilities,

ü be distributed, and if necessary read, to all personnel (including "'shaffened Versionistration) as well as to contractors and visitors (in

Documentation must cover ways of dealing with every day challenges (i.e. compliance with protective clothing) as well as situations of emergency such as illness and accidents.

An example of a quidance document for developing good operating practice procedures in personal hygiene and

behaviour is provided by the New Zealand Food Safety

Controlled access and instantly visible
signaling support personal hygiene behaviour

In addition to documenting and communicating expected

hygienic behaviour the following measures of control to
ensure compliance of staff, contractors and visitors with
hygiene requirements are:
ücontrolled entry into food production sites
üinstructions and visible signaling throughout premises.
Maintaining control over
the health of food
handlers
Results of medical screening can lead to a false sense of
security.
Being afraid of losing a job due to health status will
prevent
people from being honest about their health.
A vigilant supervisor is probably the most effective means
of keeping ill workers from contact with food.
WHO report "Health surveillance and management
procedures for food-handling personnel" provides
current
international guidance on managing personnel hygiene.
 Employee health status should be brought up at the
point
of employment. Inform new employee that sick food-
handlers can transmit diseases to customers. Ask
Hygiene about:
ü last illness with diarrhea or vomiting
management of
ü skin trouble anywhere on body
personnel starts
ü discharges from eye, ear, mouth
from day one ü digestion problems
ü medical history re typhoid/paratyphoid

Provide first hygiene training prior to uptake of work.

Adequate
behavior must
be taught and
controlled
Training starts
on day one
and needs
regular
repeating
 Correct people BUT ALSO give praise

• Praise personnel when things are done correctly.

• This part tends to get forgotten and people tire of
constantly being told what was done wrongly
• A personal thank-you from a supervisor for correct
behaviour works wonders.
 Personal hygiene in
food production:
Conclusions
ü Humans shed microorganisms and can contaminate food
through unhygienic behavior.
ü Food handlers need to be aware of indirect paths of
contamination.
ü Washing hands is the most effective way to stop the spread of
microorganisms.
ü Hygienic behavior includes the wearing of clean protective
clothing and
ü avoiding activities such as eating near unprotected food
products.
ü Ill people must be prevented from handling food.
ü Personal hygiene is a management responsibility and
directives must be documented in a GMP programme.
ü Personal hygiene can only ever be as good as the provided
facilities.
ü Hygienic behavior must be taught and controlled.
Jawablah pertanyaan di bwah ini dan kumpulkan di
di hebat learning secara mandiri.
1. Jelaskan kenapa personal hygiene perlu di terapkan dalam pengolahan
produk hasil perikanan?
2. Jelaskan mekanisme manusia dapat menghasilkan mikroorganisme
pathogen?
3. Jelaskan mengenai direct and indirect kontaminasi dari mikroorganisme?
4. Jelaskan kenapa washing hands is the most important food poisoning
prevention?
5. Jelaskan kenapa a special dress code is required for EVERYONE who
enters a food-handling area?
6. Jelaskan kenapa hygiene management of personnel starts from day one?