Washing your hands
Hygiene starts with washing your hands. As children we were taught by our parents that we should wash our hands: before eating, after going to the toilet, etc., but time and time again it turns out that nothing is as difficult as following this simple hygiene rule. Some people are simply very indifferent to their personal hygiene.
Why washing your hands
Why is this so bad, especially for employees in the food industry? On the human hand, in addition to the permanent flora, there is a so-called temporary flora, which is a reflection of the contact that the hand has had in the last few hours. After fishing, the bacteria from ditch water are found; after going to the toilet, the human intestinal flora (including E. coli) and after nose picking, probably the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (a notorious pathogen). This can easily involve several million bacteria. The hand is the tool to transfer bacteria from one place to another. Bacteria can multiply very quickly under favorable conditions. If we start with one bacterium, there can be 65,000 after four hours. If you haven't washed your hands carefully, you can easily transfer 1,000 bacteria to the product when handling a food. After an acclimatization period of a few hours, these bacteria grow to a number of 64 million in four hours and the product is spoiled.
Soap and water
Every employee involved in the production of food products has a duty to take care of their personal hygiene. Therefore, wash your hands carefully with soap and water from a dispenser to greatly reduce the number of microorganisms on the hands. Then dry them with a disposable paper towel. Cotton and linen towels are out of the question and a breeding ground for bacteria, as well as wiping your hands on your clothes.
Author
Frans M. de Jong
Published: 15-01-2024