Home > Special Reminders for Food Workers

Wait staff:

• You may be responsible for checking the holding temperatures on the buffet or salad bar
• Gloves or other utensils must be used for handling all ready-to-eat foods, even if you’re just buttering toast
• Customers may ask you questions about how the food was prepared

Child care providers:

• Be sure to understand the wash, rinse, and sanitize steps. Many toys and other surfaces in child care facilities use the same cleaning technique.
• Handwashing is not only important for you as a food worker, but also important for the children before they eat
• Many dishes are served family-style. Use utensils that children can handle and be ready to replace utensils that are dropped, licked, or incorrectly used.
• Children’s medications that must be refrigerated in the kitchen must be labeled and kept in a water-tight container.

Bussers:

• Dirty dishes need to stay away from all clean food preparation areas and food.
• After clearing tables, you must wash your hands before you begin another activity

Dishwashers:

• The sinks and your hands might be contaminated. Be sure to wash them before you begin
• Change the wash water often to better clean the dishes
• Routinely measure the sanitizer solution with appropriate test strips.
• If you use a mechanical dishwasher, you must know how to use it and how to check that it’s sanitizing properly.
• Be sure to read and follow the directions on chemical labels.

Bartenders:

• Bare hand contact is not permitted, even if it’s just squeezing a lemon into a drink. Prepare garnishes like lemon twists and sliced fruits with gloves in advance rather than preparing them bare handed for each drink.
• Be sure to use an ice scoop rather than handling the ice

Grocery clerks:

• Cross contamination can happen while you’re bagging groceries. Bag meats separately and clean up meat spills with a sanitizer.
• You will likely handle unwrapped fruit and vegetables. Be sure to wash your hands often throughout the day.
• Be sure potentially hazardous foods that are left at your aisle are returned to proper temperature control immediately or discarded.

Home cooks:

• Check your refrigerator temperatures. Food should be kept 41°F or colder and cooled properly to keep your family and friends safe.
• Animals are not allowed in food preparation areas of restaurants because of germs. Keep your pets off of the kitchen counters and out of the kitchen sink at home as well.
• Hosting parties often means lots of food and people. Be sure to plan ahead so that you will be able to keep foods at proper temperatures, make sure you have enough utensils for serving, and rapidly cool leftovers in shallow pans.

Temporary Food Vendors:

• Temporary establishments often lack plumbing. Be sure to set up your handwashing station before you begin food preparation.
• Temperature control is often difficult at temporary sites. Have a back-up plan ready in case your electricity goes out or your equipment is unable to keep the food at proper temperatures.
• Plan your menu carefully to limit the number of potentially hazardous foods

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