Blog from Cheshire Franchise
One of the first things I teach at my children’s cooking classes in Manchester is that we should start our food prep, not by rifling through the bag of ingredients or guessing with our friends about what the recipe is, but by making sure our hands are clean.
Hand washing (properly, and not just showing your palms a glimpse of the water) is essential when handling food, whether you’re serving it to other people or eating it yourself.
That is why to celebrate World Hand Hygiene Day on May 5th, we’re explaining the importance of making sure your little one spends 20 seconds scrubbing their digits every time they want to show off their chef skills.
Prevents the spread of germs
Nobody likes to be ill, and while we accept that children will pick up bugs from each other while they’re at school, we should encourage good hygiene to reduce the spread of germs, so we can spend our weekends and holidays having fun and not in bed, feeling poorly.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) launched World Hand Hygiene Day in 2009 to remind people to wash their hands thoroughly - and potentially for much longer than they thought.
This can have a huge impact of saving lives by reducing the risk of viruses spreading from one person to the other.
Food prep is one area where germs can easily be transferred, so if the handler is ill, the food they are touching can be contaminated by their virus. Then the next person exposed to the food has a high chance of catching these bugs.
Germs can lead to many horrible illnesses, from Covid-19 to chicken pox, so it is important to keep your hands as clean as possible if you are cooking for someone else.
Reduces the risk of bacterial infections
Hands don’t just carry viruses but bacteria too. For instance, young children frequently have E coli on their hands, as this can be transferred from their faeces due to poor toilet hygiene.
The bacteria can then be transmitted to the food they are handling if they haven’t washed properly with warm, soapy water.
Symptoms of E coli, such as diarrhoea and stomach cramps, can be horrible and may even last as long as two weeks!
Salmonella is another bacteria that can be easily transferred in food prep, especially if the person has touched raw meat and not cleaned their hands thoroughly afterwards.
This can lead to nausea, sickness, tummy pain, diarrhoea, headache and fever, and can take a week to recover from.
Prevents cross-contamination of allergens
As well as reducing the risk of getting a viral or bacterial infection, washing hands before handling food is also essential to keep those with severe allergies safe.
If a little cook has handled nuts, dairy or gluten, for instance, and then prepares a meal for someone who is allergic to those ingredients, they are putting their health in danger.
It is vital they wash with soapy water for 20 seconds to properly remove traces of the allergens from their hands.
Keeps vulnerable people safe
There are some people who are particularly susceptible to catching illnesses, such as newborn babies and the elderly, so chefs need to make sure they keep these groups safe by reducing the risk of spreading germs.
It is not always obvious who has a lower immune system, as some adults and children might be taking immunosuppressants, so it is sensible to practice safe handwashing procedures whenever you step into the kitchen.
For more information on Halloween cooking workshops or children’s cooking classes in Cheshire & Greater Manchester, get in touch today.