What should food handlers do before handling food?

Washing hands thoroughly before handling food is essential for ensuring food safety and preventing contamination. Proper handwashing removes dirt, bacteria, and viruses that can be present on the hands. This practice significantly reduces the risk of transmitting pathogens to food items, which can lead to foodborne illnesses.

Food handlers should wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after activities that may lead to contamination such as using the restroom, handling raw meat, or touching surfaces in the food preparation area. This step serves as a fundamental hygiene practice in food safety protocols, making it crucial for anyone involved in food handling to prioritize.

While using gloves, rinsing food, and checking expiration dates are also important practices, they do not replace the necessity of clean hands when preparing or serving food. Gloves can create a false sense of security and may still become contaminated, rinsing food does not eliminate the need for handwashing, and checking expiration dates is unrelated to the immediate cleanliness required for handling food safely.