This happens when harmful germs, invisible to the naked eye, are spread onto food from hands, other foods, surfaces or equipment.
"Every year foodborne diseases cause 1 in 10 people to fall ill and can be deadly, resulting in 420,000 deaths." - WHO Estimates of the Global Burden of Food borne Diseases. 2015.
“39% of staff do not wash their hands after visiting the toilet, while 53% do not wash their hands before preparing food.” - Food Standards Agency
Food workers are consistently implicated in foodborne illness outbreaks. Preventing the spread of germs and cross-contamination of food is therefore essential to running a safe and effective food business.
Risks for Employers
- Contaminated food entering the food chain
- Food spoilage and wastage
- Bad publicity
- Reduced productivity
- Potential compensation claims
Preventing Cross-Contamination
Foodborne diseases are preventable. Everyone has a role to play…
Good hygiene is essential for you to make or sell food that is safe to eat. Given, 80% of all infections are transmitted by the hands – keeping them clean and healthy is vital in the fight against cross-contamination in any food handling environment.
Food environments should ensure they have proper procedures in place addressing:
- Cleaning and disinfecting of work surfaces and equipment
- Storage and handling of food
- Staff awareness of how to avoid cross-contamination
- HACCP assessment protocols to identify critical hand hygiene control points
- Provision of appropriate hand hygiene stations in the right locations
- Provision of effective skin care
