School Management must select clean and healthy vendors and ensure that they conduct hygienic practices. Employees responsible for personal hygiene so that the food that they handle remains wholesome.

Canteen operator, vendors and food handlers in school shall maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and shall conform to good hygienic practices during all working periods. They shall have clean outer garments and wear effective hair restraints. Aside from it, smoking, eating, and drinking are not allowed by food employees in the food preparation and service areas. All non-working unauthorized persons must also be restricted from the food preparation and service areas.

Additionally, food employees may not contact exposed ready-to-eat food with their bare hands. Suitable utensils, such as deli paper, spatulas, tongs, dispensing equipment, or gloves shall be used.

To raise the awareness of all the concerned employees at the canteen and other vendors in school, every school should conduct a comprehensive information on Proper Hygiene and Sanitary Food Preparation and Handling Practices. Proper food handling, food safety and sanitation practices should be properly explained to the school canteen employees.

        Food shall be protected from cross-contamination by separating raw animal foods from ready-to-eat foods during storage, preparation, holding, and display. Equipment and utensils (including knives, cutting boards, and food storage containers) must be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after being used for raw animal foods and before being used for ready-to-eat food. 

       Moreover, vendors must wash their hands and exposed portions of the arms after touching bare human body parts, using the toilet room, handling animals, coughing/sneezing, using a handkerchief, using tobacco, eating/drinking, handling soiled equipment/utensils, as often as necessary to prevent cross-contamination, when switching between raw and ready-to-eat food, and after engaging in other activities that contaminate the hands.

        Personal clothing and belongings should be stored at the designated place away from food, equipment, utensils, linens, and single service articles.

        The effective campaign on the strategy and practices on proper hygiene and sanitary food preparation should be prioritizedby increasing the public awareness on it in order for them to become responsible enough on proper hygiene and sanitation.

 

By: Marilyn S. Panganiban | Teacher I | Cataning Elementary School | Balanga, Bataan