Water supply for food processing
Practical Action
However, infection can be minimised by adopting the following rules in all food processing
premises:
Educate workers to show them the dangers of poor hygiene (books, films, videos etc are
available).
Do not allow people to work if they have a cough, serious cold or influenza, boils or other
skin infections or stomach complaints (eg sickness or diarrhoea). It is not sufficient to cover
skin complaints with a bandage or gloves. If necessary, insist on a medical examination of
suspect workers.
All employees should scrub their hands thoroughly (for more than 30 seconds) using non-
perfumed soap and clean water before starting work. Particular attention should be paid to
ensuring clean nails. Towels should be provided and washed regularly. For some types of
processes (eg poultry processing) where food poisoning bacteria is likely to be present in
high numbers, employees should wash their hands regularly throughout the day. Hands
should always be washed after using a wc.
All tools and work surfaces should be thoroughly and regularly washed with chlorinated water
throughout the day.
Smoking should not be allowed because bacteria from the mouth can be transferred via the
cigarette to the hands and hence to the food. Spitting should be prohibited for similar
reasons.
All clothing should be clean. If necessary aprons or coats should be provided and regularly
washed.
Useful contacts
WELL
Water, Engineering and Development Centre - WEDC
Loughborough University, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU
United Kingdom
Tel: + 44 (0)1509 222633
Fax: + 44 (0)1509 211079
E-mail: well@lboro.ac.uk
Website http://www.lboro.ac.uk/well/
Resource centre network for water, sanitation & environmental health
WaterAid
47-49 Durham Street
London
SE11 5JD
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7793 4500
Fax: +44 (0)20 7793 4545
E-mail: technicalenquiryservice@wateraid.org.uk
Website: http://www.wateraid.org.uk
Publications
Environmental Health Engineering in the Tropics: An Introductory Text, Second Edition
Sandy Cairncross Richard Feachem, Pub. John Wiley & Sons Ltd. ISBN 0 471 93885 8
Low-cost Sanitation John Pickford ISBN 1 85339 233 2, Practical Action Publishing
Food and drink manufacture - good manufacturing practice,
IFST, 5 Cambridge Court, 210 Shepherd Bush Road, London W6 7NL, United Kingdom.
Appropriate Food Packaging by Peter Fellows & Barry Axtell, ILO/TOOL 1993
Small-scale Food Processing: A guide to appropriate equipment, Edited by Peter Fellows &
Ann Hampton, Practical Action Publishing/CTA 1992
Food safety and hygiene a selection of Practical Action Technical Briefs
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