SAFE FOOD

To Go
What do food handlers
need to know?
This booklet outlines
the food safety skills*
that food handlers must
be able to demonstrate
before they start handling
food in the workplace.
To use this booklet as an effective
training aid and ensure food handlers
successfully implement the training
in the workplace employers should:

• Explain the information

to their employees

• Provide assistance and

resources, e.g. time,
equipment etc. as required

Afterwards, training should be

assessed to ensure that the food
handler is implementing the food
safety knowledge. A checklist
is provided at the back of this
booklet for managers/supervisors
to determine if food handlers in
the workplace have understood
and are implementing these skills.

* These skills are identified in The FSAI ‘Guide to Food Safety

Training Level 1 - Induction Skills and Level 2 - Additional Skills’.
SAFE FOOD
To Go
In the hustle and bustle
of today’s world, more
and more people are eating
convenience food and
‘food to go’.
Hot and cold meals are being
served to hungry consumers on
nearly every street as they go about
their busy lives. Therefore, it is
important for those preparing and
handling this food to remember
that poor food handling practices
can cause food poisoning.

Food poisoning can be very serious.

Symptoms vary from mild discomfort
due to vomiting and diarrhoea to life
threatening illness. Infants, pregnant
women, the frail elderly and the sick
are most at risk from food poisoning.
So, whether you are serving hot
sausage rolls in a petrol station
or preparing ham and coleslaw
sandwiches in a deli/retail outlet,
you need to make sure the food you
prepare and serve is safe to eat.

By law, all food handling staff

must be supervised, instructed
and/or trained in food hygiene,
commensurate with their
responsibilities.

You can prevent your customers

from getting food poisoning
by following the simple rules
outlined in this booklet.

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SAFE FOOD To Go

What causes
food poisoning?
While viruses cause some
food poisoning cases,
most result from bacterial
contamination. Bacteria
are tiny living structures
that can only be seen with a
microscope. Most bacteria
are harmless but some can
cause disease. If present
in food, some of these
disease-causing bacteria
can cause food poisoning.
Where are these bacteria found People carry bacteria on and in
and how do they get onto food? their bodies – on their hands, face,
nose and in their stomachs. Food
They are found everywhere – in
handlers can transfer bacteria onto
soil and water as well as on people,
food if they don’t wash their hands
animals and food.
after using the toilet or if they touch
Raw products, especially raw their faces or hair while preparing the
meats, poultry and fish, may contain food. Customers, like food handlers,
dangerous bacteria. Bacteria on raw can contaminate food by sneezing
foods may then be transferred onto or touching food on display.
other food such as cooked or ready-
Pests such as insects, pets, birds and
to-eat foods during food preparation
rodents can all carry bacteria and may
or storage. This is called cross
contaminate any food they touch.
contamination.
Dirty food premises harbour
bacteria on dirt and food
particles which can contaminate
the food being prepared.

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Cross Food handlers may also spread
bacteria and contaminate food
indirectly by:
contamination • Handling cooked or ready-to-eat
food immediately after handling
Food handlers who handle raw food, without washing hands
food incorrectly during
• Using equipment such as knives,
preparation can spread
kitchen utensils and chopping
bacteria and contaminate boards for the preparation of
food directly by: cooked and ready-to-eat foods
after preparing raw food, without
• Letting raw food touch cooked cleaning the equipment
or ready-to-eat food
• Placing cooked or ready-to-eat
• Letting blood or juices from food on counter tops where raw
raw food drip onto other food food has been, without cleaning
and disinfecting the work surface

• Using the same dish cloth for

different work surfaces or using
dirty cloths

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SAFE FOOD To Go

What makes Moisture – bacteria require moisture

to grow. They do not grow well on
dry products such as biscuits.
bacteria grow? Time – Bacteria multiply very quickly
and can double in number every
20 minutes.
Bacteria need food, warmth,
moisture and time to grow At room temperature bacteria can
and multiply. multiply into millions after only a few
hours on one piece of food. One
Food – bacteria grow well on high spoonful of contaminated food may
protein foods such as meat, fish and be enough to make you very sick –
dairy products. or even kill you.

Temperature – most bacteria need Cooking food thoroughly kills

warm conditions to grow. They grow bacteria. To do this, the centre or
well at room temperature (21°C). core of the food must reach 75°C
instantaneously or equivalent, e.g.
70°C for two minutes. The core is
taken as the thickest part of the food.

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What are bacteria are
most commonly found in
the most poultry but are also found
in pigmeat and other foods.
common food food poisoning
is mainly associated with
poisoning eating contaminated
chicken and eggs and
bacteria? their products.

Campylobacter has relatively

recently been recognised as causing
food poisoning and now it exceeds
Salmonella as the leading cause of
bacterial food poisoning in Ireland.
It is present in a wide range of
animals and birds and is commonly
found on raw poultry meat.

E. coli O157 and related E. coli

are found in the gut of cattle and
is mainly associated with eating
undercooked minced beef, e.g. beef
burgers, but cross contamination
from raw meat can transfer these
bacteria to other foods. They can
cause serious illness and may even
result in death.

Staphylococcus aureus is typically

found on the hands and in and
around the nose of healthy adults.
During food preparation food
handlers can easily transfer it
on to food.

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SAFE FOOD To Go

How do I
stop bacteria growing?

KEEP The Danger Zone

HOT Bacteria that cause

food poisoning grow at
FOOD temperatures between
HOT 5°C and 63°C – above
refrigeration temperatures
and below cooking
temperatures. Bacteria grow
KEEP best at warm temperatures
– approximately 25° to 40°C.
COLD
FOOD However, if food is kept out of
the danger zone – either cold at
COLD refrigeration temperatures less than
5°C, or hot at greater than 63°C –
most bacteria will stop growing,
although they do not die. Therefore,
food should be kept hot in a hot
holding cabinet or kept cold in a
refrigerated display unit to prevent
any bacteria that may be present
on the food from multiplying.

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DO follow the manufacturer’s
instructions for use on the label.

DO NOT leave food out

on counter tops at room
temperature – more than
two hours is too long.

Food should be kept in

a hot or cold display unit
and not left sitting on top
where customers can
contaminate the food by
handling or sneezing.

You should have sufficient

space to carry out food
preparation safely. There
should also be sufficient
space for food storage.

Never use food past its

‘use-by’ date as it could be
unsafe, plus it is illegal to
do so. Food can be used
after its ‘best-before’ date
provided that the food is
still in a fully acceptable
condition. Where this
is done however, it is
strongly recommended to
indicate to the consumer
that the food is past
its ‘best-before’ date.
Always ensure good
stock rotation for all
foods whether stored
in a hot cabinet, fridge
or dry goods store.

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SAFE FOOD To Go

Burning • Cooked food not stored above

63ºC should be used up within
two hours of cooking.

Hot Tips • First in – First out – ensure the

first batch of cooked food placed
in the hot holding cabinet is
served first.
• Cook food thoroughly – the core
temperature should reach 75°C • Only reheat, i.e. regeneration,
instantaneously or equivalent, once.
e.g. 70°C for two minutes. The
core is taken as the centre or • Reheat to piping hot ≥70°C
thickest part of the food. at the core of the food.

• Keep hot food hot – keep hot • Discard hot held food leftover
food in a hot holding cabinet at the end of the day.
(above 63°C). This is outside
the danger zone.

• Lukewarm food is dangerous –

keeping food only warm
is a perfect environment
for bacteria to grow.

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Ice Cold Tips • Date leftovers and as a general
rule, discard after two days. Salads
and sandwich fillings leftover at
the end of the day may be kept for
use for the following day provided
• Keep cold food cold – store in a they are covered and remain at
refrigerated display unit (below refrigeration temperatures.
5°C). This is outside the danger
zone so bacteria will not multiply. • Use up the leftovers first and avoid
mixing them with freshly prepared
• Only freeze food once – once salads or sandwich fillings.
food is defrosted, bacteria can
multiply. If this is frozen again, the • If cooling cooked food for
amount of bacteria could be at a refrigerated storage – cool food
dangerous level. quickly – but let the steam
evaporate from the food first
• Defrost thoroughly – if the centre before covering and placing
of the food is still frozen it may not in the refrigerator. Cutting the
be fully cooked before serving and food into smaller portions or
some bacteria may survive. spreading in a shallow dish will
facilitate quicker cooling.

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SAFE FOOD To Go

How can I
stop the
spread of food
poisoning
bacteria?
You can prevent the
spread of food poisoning
bacteria through good
food handling practices
and by maintaining good
personal hygiene.

Good Food Handling Practices • Wash your hands between

• Never allow raw food to come handling raw and cooked/
into contact with cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
ready-to-eat foods.
• Use separate work areas,
• Store raw foods separately from utensils and equipment for
cooked and ready-to-eat foods. preparing raw and cooked/
ready-to-eat foods. If this is not
• Alternatively, store raw food on possible, clean and disinfect
the bottom shelf in the fridge and utensils and work surfaces
store cooked and ready-to-eat carefully between these tasks.
food on the top shelves.
• Ensure that your service cloth
• Keep food covered or store is kept clean and is replaced
it in sealed food containers. frequently.

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Good Personal Hygiene • Keep nails clean and short.

Wash hands regularly • Don’t wear strong perfume, nail

• Wash your hands thoroughly varnish or excessive make-up.
using hot water and liquid soap:
• Restrict your jewellery to a plain
– Before starting work wedding band and small earrings.
– Before handling cooked or
ready-to-eat food Treat food with care
– Before using disposable gloves • Do not handle food unnecessarily
– use a tongs where possible.
– After handling raw food
– After using the toilet • Do not pick your nose, lick your
– After handling rubbish fingers, taste food with your
fingers, eat, chew gum, cough
– After smoking
or sneeze near food that you
– After touching your hair or face, are preparing or serving.
sneezing, coughing and using
a handkerchief • Cover cuts and sores with a blue
– After performing routine waterproof dressing.
cleaning tasks
• Inform your immediate supervisor
Be clean and tidy if you have diarrhoea or an upset
stomach. If you are ill you should
• Be clean and tidy and wear clean
not prepare or handle food but
protective clothing such as an
may perform alternative duties
apron or overall when handling
until the illness has passed.
or serving food.

• Keep hair clean and covered under

a cap or hairnet. Long hair must
be tied up.

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SAFE FOOD To Go

Do I
have to clean
the work area?
Cleaning is important as
bacteria grow on dirt and
food particles and can
result in food becoming
contaminated with
food poisoning
bacteria.
Always ‘clean as you go’
and mop up spills as they
occur. Try to keep your work
area clean and tidy. Clean
and disinfect food surfaces
regularly.

Detergents clean by
removing visible dirt.
Disinfectants kill bacteria
that are invisible to the
eye. It is very important to
clean with a detergent first
to remove all visible dirt and
food debris so the disinfectant
can be 100% effective at
killing any bacteria that
may be present.

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What should Additional Food Safety
Training Resources

food handlers The FSAI has also produced a set of

food safety training guides which will

be able to provide employees with additional

food safety skills that the employee
should use to ensure that they
do now? handle food safely.

Guide to Food Safety Training

Level 1: Induction Skills and
Although food handlers Level 2: Additional Skills
have been given this
information to read, they Guide to Food Safety Training
will require supervision Level 3: Food Safety Skills for
Management
to ensure they are
demonstrating good These guides can be ordered free of
food safety practices. charge from our website: www.fsai.ie

Managers/Supervisors can use the

checklist below to check that food
handlers know how to demonstrate
the following food safety skills.

Yes
Food handlers know how to…

Store hot food hot and cold food cold

Prevent cross contamination through good food handling practices

Wash hands when necessary

Wear and maintain uniform/protective clothing hygienically

Inform supervisor if suffering from diarrhoea or upset stomach

Keep work areas clean

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Email: [email protected]
Website: www.fsai.ie

© FSAI
2017