Understand Principles of Food Safety and Hygiene in a Health or Social Care Setting (P5)

Anyone working with food must know about the importance of food hygiene and safety. It is a good idea for them to have a food hygiene certificate. Different ways that food can be kept safe are:  To be assured that all foods free from contamination by harmful bacteria.  This is done by protecting the bacteria from multiplying, so the level of risk is not too high  By cooking food you can destroy the harmful bacteria The basic rules of food hygiene: Before you start to cook or prepare foods you should always make sure that your hands are washed and hair is up and in a cap. Also you should put the blue plasters on any cuts on your hands as they don’t fall of into the cooking as other plasters do fall off occasionally In the area of where you are cooking there should be no: Smoking (cigarettes) Animals Coughing or sneezing ( if you can help it) Raw meat in contact with the cook bits. If you are ill you should not be cooking as it could spread germs or you could be sick over it You should cover up the food that is out so no flies can sit on it as you would have to throw it away as it might have done something on it. Wear an apron, wear clean clothes as well as making sure that you are clean.

This includes bones, shells, pips, stalks from food packaging, nut, bolts, jewellery, hair, fingernails and insect droppings. If premises are cleaned regularly including equipment this helps. Chemical contamination can be caused by not keeping cleaning materials separate from food areas and by agricultural chemicals including fertilisers. Fruit and vegetables should be washed before eating. Foods in open cans must be transferred to another container as the food can react with the can. Cleaning materials must be kept in a locked cupboard rinsed well after using. Biological contamination is caused by bacteria or viruses which multiply to dangerous levels, then when the food is eaten it can cause illness. Good hygiene must be followed during preparation, cooking and serving