Although we are all clear about what food handling entails, at Cursos Femxa we think that we should clarify certain concepts related to jobs in catering and in the industry in which food safety can be compromised.
Workers who process the food we eat must have specific knowledge, and in this post we will briefly review the main elements that adequate training in food handling should address.
A food handler is a worker who, by virtue of his or her professional activity, directly handles food during the preparation, transformation, manufacturing, packaging or transportation processes. The fact that this professional is properly trained is essential to ensure that food poisoning and food safety problems do not occur.
Food handler training
Food and catering companies must ensure that their employees are properly trained to perform a job in which hygiene is the main element. Both this training and the supervision of the work of food handlers must be included in the activities associated with the hazard analysis and critical control points plan, a methodology that we have already discussed in this blog .
The 5 mistakes of a food handler
Obligations of food handlers
An employee who works handling food must be careful with certain elements, which become essential obligations of his/her position:
Comply with the working conditions imposed by the company in accordance with the safety plan and the training received.
Take the utmost care of your personal hygiene , wear clean clothing, used only for this activity, and appropriate footwear.
Wash your hands with soap and water or disinfectant as many times as required by the activities performed, in addition to every time you start
Cover any cuts or wounds with appropriate sanitary materials.
Report any personal circumstances that may affect your job, such as any pathology that may lead to contamination of the food handled.
Avoid wearing jewelry or other items that may come into contact with food.
Basic work rules will prohibit smoking, chewing or eating in the workplace.
Hygiene rules
Personal hygiene, although it is understood, must be supervised. Clothing kuwait telephone number must be loose and comfortable, kept clean at all times and must be changed for cleaning tasks. Footwear must be closed and anatomical, but must allow perspiration.
Hand washing should be done thoroughly, using suitable soaps and a brush for nails, which should be short and unpainted. The ideal drying system will be disposable towels. If gloves are used, they should also be washed frequently, to always have a germ-free work surface and they should not be torn.
HACCP
The regulations state that companies in the food and catering sector are obliged to document the aspects of their activity that may have an influence on the hygiene and quality of food. To do so, they must follow a methodology that evaluates and collects the main points of their activity.
This methodology is known as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points and allows risks to be identified , in order to act against them and adopt preventive measures.
The HACCP system is based on at least these principles:
Hazard analysis and identification .
Identify critical control points.
Set critical limits.
Implement an observation system .
Plan possible corrective actions and verify that the HACCP system is working correctly, documenting the entire system.
Infographic explaining the principles of the HACCP system
Reasons to train as a food handler
Any worker who intends to work in the restaurant sector or the food industry at some point must have specific training. Knowing the hygiene regulations and the actions implied in a food handler course will provide you with versatility to complete your CV and thus demonstrate complete professional development based on the responsibility that comes from knowing the regulations and guaranteeing a safe service.
At Cursos Femxa we are specialists in online training and you can find this complete online course on raw food handling and preservation, taught on a distance learning platform so that you can study in a flexible way and at your own pace. In this training you will learn to correctly perform preservation techniques, such as salting, dehydration, pickling, freezing and others. We will also explain how to pre-prepare different types of food, such as fish, poultry, vegetables or meat for perfect organization of work in the kitchen.