Hygiene - Culinary (food) Hygiene

Culinary (food) Hygiene

Culinary hygiene pertains to the practices related to food management and cooking to prevent food contamination, prevent food poisoning and minimize the transmission of disease to other foods, humans or animals. Culinary hygiene practices specify safe ways to handle, store, prepare, serve and eat food.

Culinary practices include:

• Cleaning and disinfection of food-preparation areas and equipment (for example using designated cutting boards for preparing raw meats and vegetables). Cleaning may involve use of chlorine bleach, ethanol, ultraviolet light, etc. for disinfection.
• Careful avoidance of meats contaminated by trichina worms, salmonella, and other pathogens; or thorough cooking of questionable meats.
• Extreme care in preparing raw foods, such as sushi and sashimi.
• Institutional dish sanitizing by washing with soap and clean water.
• Washing of hands thoroughly before touching any food.
• Washing of hands after touching uncooked food when preparing meals.
• Not using the same utensils to prepare different foods.
• Not sharing cutlery when eating.
• Not licking fingers or hands while or after eating.
• Not reusing serving utensils that have been licked.
• Proper storage of food so as to prevent contamination by vermin.
• Refrigeration of foods (and avoidance of specific foods in environments where refrigeration is or was not feasible).
• Labeling food to indicate when it was produced (or, as food manufacturers prefer, to indicate its "best before" date).
• Proper disposal of uneaten food and packaging.