The
Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA), in partnership with the National
Restaurant Association, brings you the National Food Safety Month Week 4 lesson:
Personal Hygiene, or more specifically, proper hand washing.
Last week,
the LRA Education Foundation arranged for Pam Williams, a chemist with
Auto-Chlor Systems, to provide a proper hand washing demonstration to the
ProStart I and ProStart II classes at Grace King High School in Metairie.
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| Auto-Chlor Systems Chemist Pam Williams explains the proper hand washing techniques to two ProStart I students. |
“Why is it
important to properly wash your hands?” Williams asked. “When preparing and
serving food, it is the most important thing you can do to reduce the
spread of infection and illness caused by harmful germs, viruses, fungi,
protozoa and bacteria.”
Williams’
lesson included an overview of the three most common foodborne illnesses spread
easily through unclean hands. “Bacteria are microscopic and some types that can
cause food poisoning through cross-contamination by way of the hands are E.
Coli, Staphylococcus Aureus and Salmonella,” she explained.
E. Coli
illnesses and even deaths are becoming more and more common in the news. It is
bacteria found in the lower intestine of people and animals and according the
Centers for Disease Control, it can be spread by adults who do not wash their
hands carefully, specifically those handling or surrounded by infants and
toddlers.
Staphylococcus
Aureus is a group of bacteria found on the skin, hair, and in the nose and
throat of people and animals. Staphylococcus can cause food poisoning when a
food handler contaminates food and then the food is not properly refrigerated.
Salmonella
is a group of bacteria causing infection in the lower intestine and causes food
poisoning when someone contaminates raw or prepared food with bacteria from
hands and is then eaten. Some sources are raw, uncooked or unpasteurized foods
such as undercooked chicken, unpasteurized milk or juice, raw fruits and vegetables.
After her
presentation to the ProStart I class, Williams took two student volunteers to
the hand washing sink and demonstrated the proper way to wash your hands. She
then provided each student with a sample of GloGerm to rub on their hands and
they were then charged with washing them using the proper method. After the
students washed their hands, the lights were turned off and Williams and the
rest of the class turned a black light on the volunteers’ hands to see how well
they washed. The black light showed them where germs and bacteria still resided
on their hands.
Since the
ProStart II students had completed the first year of instruction and many of
them are studying to become ServSafe certified, the GloGerm effect was less
jarring.
Here is an
activity that you can do with your staff. The answer key can be found at www.foodsafetymonth.com
under Activities.
This year’s
theme is “20-Year Anniversary: Top 20 Tips,” highlights the best of best
practices, or the most important aspects of serving food safely to the American
public.
