To maintain personal hygiene, which combination of practices is recommended for food handlers?

• A. Wear clean uniforms, restrain hair, and avoid food preparation when sick
• B. Work with open wounds uncovered
• C. Ignore gloves during handling
• D. Wear dirty uniforms and long sleeves regardless

Answer: (A)

Maintaining personal hygiene in food handling means preventing contamination by simple, consistent practices. Wearing clean uniforms reduces dirt and microbes carried into food prep areas, restraining hair prevents loose strands from falling into food, and avoiding work when sick helps stop the spread of illness through the food supply. Together, these practices form a solid, practical baseline for protecting both food and customers. The other options violate essential hygiene principles: leaving open wounds uncovered can introduce pathogens into food; not using gloves when handling food removes a protective barrier between hands and what’s being prepared; and dirty uniforms or inappropriate sleeve length signal poor cleanliness and increase contamination risk.