Thoroughly washing hands, using warm soapy water, may eliminate nearly half of all cases of food borne illness.
Hand washing with soap and water is preferred over alcohol based hand sanitizer.
Wash your hands:
- Before preparing, serving or eating food items and particularly after handling raw meats, poultry and raw vegetables
- After handling dirty dishes
- After you have been to the washroom
- After sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose
- After mopping the floor or any other cleaning duty
- After handling chemicals
- After handling any animals
When preparing and serving food:
- Use proper utensils to handle food instead of direct contact with your hands.
- Keep your fingernails short and free from polish. Use a nailbrush to remove any microorganisms under the nails.
- Remove jewellery from your hands and wrists. Jewellery can trap dirt and pathogens. You may unknowingly lose a piece of jewellery in the food.
- Wipe your hands with disposable paper towels. If you wipe your hands on a cloth or clothing you could end up transferring dirt and bacteria back onto your hands.
- Do not use gloves in place of proper hand washing.