Food Hygiene

Programme Content

The programme covers four main areas:

Food hygiene – why bother?
Basic microbiology
Personal hygiene
Legislation – what the law requires!

Food Hygiene - Why Bother?

Introduction
Investigation of origin of and necessity for hygiene
Benefits of good hygiene
Costs of bad hygiene
Hygiene as an integral part of quality control
Prevention of ill health, food borne illness
Hygiene – structural, operational and personal aspects
Contamination – foreign substances, metals and chemicals, polluted water, antibiotic residues, micro biological

Basic Microbiology

Introduction to microbiology, bacteriology
What are bacteria?
How they grow and multiply
Conditions necessary for growth
Food warmth and moisture
How to control bacterial numbers
Contamination – sources in the workplace and prevention
Sources of food poisoning bacterial in the human body
Importance of good operational hygiene
Regular and proper cleaning

Personal Hygiene

Essential to be clean – safe food
Food worker – moral and legal duty
Protective clothing and hair covering
Importance of proper routine:
- Hand washing
- Coughing and sneezing etc
- Dirty jobs
Smoking in food area
Illness notification
Personal grooming
Awareness of potential to contaminate
Measures necessary to prevent such contamination occurring
Need to cover cuts, burns and wounds
Eating or drinking in the workplace
Bad habits

Legislation

Sale of Food and Drugs Act 1875 – 1936 and regulations made thereunder
EU Directives
Legislation relevant to the particular industry/business
Requirements grouped under hygiene as:
- Structural
- Operational
- Personal
In-depth look at item C

Course Presenter

The Course Instructor is a registered Food Safety Trainer with the following organisations:

National Hygiene Partnership
Chartered Institute of Environmental Health U.K.
Environmental Health Officers Association
Excellence Ireland
FÁS