Preventing Foodborne Illness

Home Care Aides have an important role in preventing foodborne illness. You may support a client by preparing food, serving meals, or assisting them to eat. You must take steps to protect clients from harmful germs whenever you provide support. Germs such as bacteria and viruses are too small to see or smell. Hands and food that look clean may be contaminated with enough germs to make a client sick. Food that has been left too long on the counter may be dangerous to eat but could look fine. The only way to prevent foodborne illness is to have good personal hygiene and follow safe food handling practices.

Practice Good Personal Hygiene

Healthy workers are one of the most important parts of preventing foodborne illness. When you feel sick, you should not work with food. The germs that make you sick may spread to a client’s food and other people. Home Care Aides should not work with food if they have:

symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting or jaundice;
been diagnosed with infections that can be spread through food such as Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli, or hepatitis A;
infected, uncovered wounds; or
continual sneezing, coughing, or runny nose.

However, workers can work with food if they wear clean disposable gloves to cover wounds or infections on their hands or wrists. Workers should not return to work until they are symptom-free for at least 24 hours.

Handwashing

One of the most important things you can do to prevent foodborne illness is to keep your hands clean. Most foodborne illness spreads through the fecal-oral route. Wash your hands often, especially during these times when germs can spread.

Before, during, and after preparing food
Before and after eating
After using the toilet
After changing briefs or helping someone with toileting or cleanup
After touching an animal, pet food, or animal waste
After touching garbage
Before and after caring for someone who is sick
Before and after treating a cut or wound
After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
After handling uncooked eggs or raw meat, poultry, or fish and their juices

Alcohol-based hand rub works best on hands that are clean. When preparing food, you may use alcohol-based hand rub after washing your hands, but you may not use it instead of washing your hands. Nothing takes the place of proper handwashing.
Review Hand Washing in the Skills Checklist on page 420 and Hand Hygiene in Module 6, Lesson 1 on page 115.

Prevent Bare Hand Contact with Ready to Eat Foods

Even when a worker washes their hands well, they should not touch ready-to-eat foods with bare hands. This is to keep germs that might remain on hands from getting onto the client’s food. Ready-to-eat foods include foods that are served without additional washing or cooking to remove germs.
Workers should use utensils such as tongs, scoops, deli papers, or single-use gloves to keep from touching ready-to-eat foods. Proper glove use includes the following.

Wash hands before putting on gloves.
Change gloves that get ripped.
Change gloves that might be contaminated.
Do not wash or reuse single-use gloves.
Change gloves when working with raw and ready-to-eat foods.
Throw away gloves after use.
Wash hands after taking gloves off.

Review Put on Gloves and Take off Gloves in the Skills Checklists and Wearing Gloves in Module 6, Lesson 1 on pages 421 and 117.

Personal Habits

Personal habits can affect food safety. When you work with food:

wear a hair covering when preparing or handling food;
keep fingernails trimmed so they are easy to clean;
avoid touching your nose, mouth, or other parts of your face;
wear clean disposable gloves while handling food if you have wounds or infections on your hands or wrists; and
use a clean spoon or fork to taste food. Do not reuse it before cleaning and sanitizing.

Clean and Sanitize Surfaces and Equipment

Cleaning is necessary to prevent foodborne illness. Harmful germs can survive in many places, including hands, food, surfaces, dishes, and utensils. By cleaning everything that touches the client’s food, you can help keep them safe.

Keep Food Surfaces and Utensils Clean

Germs easily spread from one surface to another. Properly clean and sanitize the areas where you prepare and serve food.

Wash and sanitize cutting boards and countertops especially after they’ve held raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs.
Clean dining area tables, chairs, and floors regularly, and keep them free of food particles.
Keep pets, household cleaners, and other chemicals away from food and surfaces used for food.

General Cleaning and Sanitizing Guidelines

Cleaning and sanitizing are not the same. Cleaning uses soap, water, and scrubbing to remove dirt and food from surfaces. Sanitizing uses chemicals or heat to kill germs. It is important to remember that surfaces that look clean may still have germs on them that you can’t see. Sanitizers must be mixed by following the directions on the label. Soap should not be added to sanitizers. All dishes and food-contact surfaces must be washed, rinsed, and sanitized between uses.

Wash and scrub dishes in hot, soapy water.
Rinse dishes with clean, hot water.
Sanitize dishes by soaking them in water and an approved sanitizer.
Air dry all dishes and utensils instead of using a towel.

The most common sanitizer used in kitchens is a diluted bleach solution made by mixing one teaspoon of unscented bleach with one gallon of cool water. Bleach strength varies by manufacturer. Always follow the instructions on the bottle and test your solution with chlorine test strips to make sure it’s safe.
See Cleaning and Disinfecting with Bleach in the Resource Directory on page 327 for specific guidelines.

Kitchen equipment and appliances can also carry harmful contaminants.

Keep refrigerators, freezers, and ice makers clean.
Clean spills from the microwave, stove, or oven after each use.
Make sure fans in the food preparation areas are clean.
Clean, sanitize, and air dry blenders, food processors, and mixers after each use.
Clean the can opener often (germs collect and grow there).
Wipe off can lids before opening to remove dust and particles.
Clean and sanitize food thermometers after each use.

The things we use to clean can also spread disease. Dangerous bacteria grow quickly in damp places such as sponges, dishcloths, sink drains, and faucet handles.

Clean and sanitize sinks and faucets regularly.
Use paper towels to clean spills and wipe surfaces.
Throw away used paper towels, and do not reuse them.
Use separate clean paper towels for drying hands.
Use separate paper towels for wiping up spills from the floor.
Wash all towels, cloths, and sponges often.
Wash sponges in the dishwasher every few days, and replace them every few weeks.
Use dishcloths once and wash them in the hot cycle of the washing machine.
Never rinse mops in the kitchen sink.

After Cleaning

Keep pots, pans, and utensils off of the floor.
Put cups and glasses away upside down on clean surfaces. When you pick them up again, do not touch the rims.
When you put away eating utensils, touch only the handles.

Wash Fruits and Vegetables, but not Meat, Poultry, or Eggs

Make sure your sink has been cleaned and sanitized before washing produce. All raw produce should be rinsed under running water to remove dirt and debris before cutting. Scrub firm produce like melons or cucumbers with a clean produce brush while rinsing. Commercial produce washes are acceptable when used according to the label instructions. Do not use soap or bleach to clean produce. It is not necessary to wash produce that is packaged and labeled “ready to eat” or “prewashed.” Do not rinse meat, poultry, or eggs. This will only spread bacteria to other surfaces.