Unsafe Behaviour

Everyone has bad habits, in the kitchen you need to become aware of these bad habits and stop them as they can cause cross contamination of food.

Bad habits include:

• Touching or scratching parts of your body and then transferring bacteria onto food.
• Blowing your nose and sneezing over food.
• Biting your nails and smoking over food.

If you have to sneeze, cough or blow your nose, move away from the food and wash your hands before returning to preparing the food.

Eating or chewing while on-the-job is unacceptable behaviour. While unprofessional, it will produce more saliva which can transfer bacteria to food.

As a chef you will frequently need to taste the food that you are cooking, to assess the flavour, texture and seasoning. This should be done in a controlled and hygienic way:

• Using a clean teaspoon, only once.
• Use a disposable spoon and throw it away once finished.
• DO NOT use cooking utensils, such as a wooden spoon for tasting.
• DO NOT use your fingers for tasting as bacteria may be transferred to the food.

Ensure that you clean yourself and sanitize the work environment regularly.