Food Handler Hygiene

Good hygiene and safe food handling practices help prevent customers and colleagues from getting sick. Staff involved in food handling and preparation play an important role in ensuring food safety and protecting the health of everyone they serve.

Stay Home When Sick

• Report your illness to your manager right away and stay home from work if you have any of the following symptoms:
  • Nausea
  • Stomach Cramps
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Fever
• Do not return to work until at least 48 hours after your symptoms have ended.
• Contact DineSafe@toronto.ca if multiple people who worked at or purchased food from your restaurant or food premises develop the symptoms listed above.

Use Good Hand Hygiene

• Wash hands with soap and warm water for at least 15 seconds
• Wash hands:
  • before preparing or serving food
  • after using the restroom
  • after handling raw meat or seafood
  • after coughing, sneezing, or touching your face
  • after handling garbage or cleaning
  • after handling money or payments
• Food handlers must use soap and water to wash their hands. Hand sanitizer is not a substitute for hand washing.

Avoid Direct Hand Contact with Food

• Use clean, sanitized utensils like tongs or ladles instead of bare hands to handle food.

Use Disposable Gloves

• Best practices:
  • Wear gloves when handling ready-to-eat foods to avoid direct contact.
  • Wash hands before and after using gloves.
  • Change gloves between tasks and when they are torn or dirty.
  • Only use disposable gloves for one task, then throw them away. Don’t reuse or wash disposable gloves.
• Disposable gloves are not a replacement for hand washing and safe food handling

Personal Hygiene

Do:

• Wear clean clothing and change items if they get dirty.
• Keep nails short and clean.
• Tie hair back or wear a hairnet or hat.
• Cover cuts or wounds with a clean bandage and use disposable gloves.

Don’t:

• Don’t touch your face, hair, or body while handling food.
• Don’t wear jewellery when handling food.