We often refer to food hygiene, or how we should wash the veggies we eat or ensure the meat is cooked right. How many times have we thought about personal hygiene when talking about food safety? Amid our mundane schedules, we forget to wash our hands before preparing food or overlook small habits that could lead to contamination.
Hygiene points out that cleaning is a vital component of the kitchen. Whether you cook for yourself or for others, hygiene would determine the quality and safety of the food. Let’s know about the connection between hygiene and food as well as the reason it really matters to be clean while cooking, preparing, and eating.
Hand Hygiene: The First Line of Defense
Hands are the most important tools in food preparation. They can quite easily act as vectors of all harmful microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses. Healthy eating always requires washing hands with soap and water before touching food. In that case, after going to the bathroom, after having handled raw meat, after having handled utensils, clean hands minimise the chances of recontamination of food. In most cases, foodborne illnesses result from poor hand hygiene.
Clean clothes and aprons
Clean clothes and aprons in the kitchen will ensure that the food prepared is safe. Germs can accumulate in clothes, especially after outdoor activities or with pets. Wearing a new set of clothes or wearing an apron before cooking prevents bringing these germs to food items. This small habit ensures what you are preparing is safe and clean.
Care of nails and food preparation
Long, grubby nails are likely to provide a breeding ground for bacteria which may be difficult to remove even through good hand washing. Clean and short nails are thus essential when preparing food. These germs and dirt trapped between the nails can easily find their way to the food prepared, ultimately causing contamination. If a person likes having long nails or applying nail polish, wearing gloves while preparing food acts as a barrier as well.
Proper Grooming and Hair Maintenance
Hair can be another kitchen contaminant. Falling strands can fall into food, while untied hair can also carry dirt or oils that could contaminate food. Hairnet or tied back hair while cooking will therefore keep the food free from unwanted particles and clean. Good grooming as well as often washing hair would be another essential part of food hygiene.
Oral Hygiene and Food Safety
Oral hygiene does not seem directly related to food safety, but it does indirectly contribute to it. Whenever food is prepared, coughing or sneezing can easily transfer germs from the mouth onto the ingredients and talking with saliva-drenched droplets. Good oral hygiene, brushing, and flossing, reduce the number of bacteria contained in the mouth so that theoretically, there will not be as much potentially to contaminate food through droplets.
Illness and Food Preparation
First of all, one of the most crucial self-hygienic points in food safety is to know when you are sick. If you sneeze and cough, or have a fever, it's best not to touch food at all. Germs will multiply from your body into the food. When cooking is inevitable, a person can prevent himself or herself from spreading the germs by wearing a mask and constantly washing his or her hands.