Training Learning Objectives for Food Handler
The training will address personal hygiene, contamination, and temperature control to reinforce the food handler’s behaviours, which can prevent foodborne illness.
Employee Illness:
- The food handler will know to call the person in charge at the food service facility when ill with diarrhea, vomiting, jaundice, or fever with sore throat.
- The food handler will know not to work in the food service facility while ill with these symptoms.
- The food handler will know to not work in food service for 24 hours after symptoms of diarrhea or vomiting have gone.
- The food handler will know not to handle food with an infected boil, cut, burn, or sore on the hand or wrist. Food may be handled if the injury is covered with a clean bandage and a latex-free glove.
Hand-Washing:
Workers will understand elements of good hand-washing.
- The food handler will be able to identify the correct technique for hand-washing:
- Use running warm water and soap
- Scrub hands and rinse thoroughly (approximately 20 seconds)
- Dry hands with single-use towel, or air dryer
- The food handler will be able to identify situations when food handlers must wash their hands:
- Before starting work
- After using the toilet and again when entering work area
- After handling raw food and raw animal products
- After handling dirty dishes
- After handling garbage
- After cleaning or using chemicals
- After blowing nose, sneezing, coughing, or touching eyes, nose or mouth
- After smoking, or using tobacco products
- After eating or drinking
- Before putting on food service gloves
- The employee food handler will know that the food service gloves can spread germs and is not a substitute for proper hand washing.
- The food handler will know that smoking, eating, and chewing tobacco is prohibited in food preparation areas, including food and utensil storage areas.
No Bare Hand Contact with Ready to Eat Food:
- The food handler will know that touching ready-to-eat foods with bare hands is not allowed. A food worker must use utensils or single use gloves when working with ready-to-eat food. Good hand washing is still required even when using utensils or gloves to handle food.
- The food handler will know that food service gloves are capable of spreading germs and are not a substitute for proper hand-washing.
- The food handler will be able to identify situations when gloves must be discarded; hands washed and new gloves are worn:
- As soon as gloves become soiled or torn
- Before beginning a different task
- After handling raw meat, fish, or poultry
- Before handling ready-to-eat food.
- The food handler will be able to identify ready-to-eat food as foods that are edible without washing, cooking, or additional preparation. These foods include:
- Raw, washed and cut fruits and vegetables; and
- Food that require no additional cooking
- The food handler will know they may prevent bare-hand contact by using:
- Deli tissue
- Spatulas/Tongs/Forks/Utensils
- Dispensing equipment
- Single-use gloves
Role of employee in Helping Prevent Foodborne Illness:
The food handler will be able to describe five major mistakes that often cause foodborne illness:
- Inadequate hand-washing
- Employees working while they are ill
- Cross contamination
- Inadequate cooking temperatures
- Inadequate temperature control (allowing foods to be in the danger zone)
The food handler will be able to describe the activities performed by food handlers that prevent foodborne illness from happening. Activities preventing foodborne illness include:
- Proper hand-washing every time hands may have become contaminated
- Food handlers working only when healthy
- Storing and handling of foods in a manner to prevent contamination
- Cooking each animal product to its required internal temperature
- Maintaining hot and cold temperatures (keeping foods out of the danger zone)
- Use of utensils or single-use gloves to prevent bare hand contact with ready-to-eat food.
Role of Management in Helping Prevent Foodborne Illness:
- The food handler will know that the manager sets the tone of what food safety activities occur or don’t occur within the facility.
- The food handler will know that the food service management is responsible for training and ensuring that food handlers practice activities that prevent foodborne illness.
Foodborne Illness:
The food handler will be able to describe foodborne illness as an illness resulting from eating contaminated food.
The food handler will know that food contaminated with organisms (germs) does not always look, smell or taste different from non-contaminated food.
The food handler will know that symptoms vary and may include diarrhea, vomiting, fever, cramping and nausea.
The food handler will know that depending on the cause, symptoms may develop in a few minutes to several days. Some symptoms may last several days and can result in death.
The food handler will know that foodborne illness is caused by organisms (germs), chemicals, or toxins.
Temperature Control:
Workers will understand why hot and cold holding temperatures are important factors in preventing illness.
- The food handler will be able to identify time/temperature control for safety/potentially hazardous foods as food that will support bacteria growth when held at temperatures in the danger zone.
- The food handler will be able to identify the danger zone as any temperature between 41°F and 135°F.
- The food handler will be able to identify that food being cooled or heated must move through the danger zone as rapidly as possible.
- The food handler will be able to identify 135°F or hotter as the proper temperature for hot holding time/temperature control for safety/potentially hazardous foods.
- The food handler will be able to identify 41°F or colder as the proper temperature for cold holding time/temperature control for safety/potentially hazardous foods.
- The food handler will know that you cannot make food safe to eat when food has been in the danger zone for four hours or more.
Final Cooking Temperature:
Workers will understand why cooking foods to proper temperatures are important for preventing illness.
The food handler will be able to identify that cooking foods to the recommended temperature will kill disease-causing germs.
Contamination and Cross Contamination:
Workers will understand why cross contamination is dangerous and know ways to prevent it.
- The food handler will be able to define and identify physical contamination as foreign objects accidentally introduced into food. Food items may arrive already contaminated with dirt and pebbles.
- The food handler will be able to define and identify cross contamination as happening when microorganisms are transferred from one food or surface to another food.
- The food handler will be able to identify methods to prevent cross contamination such as washing, rinsing, and sanitizing utensils, work surfaces and equipment between uses.
- The food handler will be able to identify storage conditions that will minimize the potential for cross contamination:
- Store raw meats below and completely separate from ready-to-eat food in refrigeration units
- Store chemicals, cleansers and pesticides completely separate from food, utensils, and single service items
- Properly label all chemicals, cleansers and pesticides
Work Only When You Are Well:
If you feel sick you should not go to work. The germs you bring to work can spread when you touch food, dishes, counters, utensils, and other people.
- Do not work if you have a fever and sore throat
- Do not work if you have loose bowels (diarrhea)
- Do not work if you are throwing up (vomiting)
- Do not work if you have yellowing of the skin or dark tea colored urine (jaundice)
- Wait for at least 24 hours after vomiting or diarrhea have stopped before returning to work.
Tell concern authority if you have any of these symptoms. If the manager has questions, he or she can call the County Health Department.
Do not handle food with an infected boil, burn, cut or sore on your hand. Food may be handled if you cover the injury with a clean bandage, and wear a latex-free glove.
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