What should food handlers do to maintain personal hygiene?

• A. Ignore jewelry
• B. Work while sick to expedite tasks
• C. Wear clean uniforms, restrain hair, and avoid food preparation when sick
• D. Handle money with the same gloves used for food

Answer: (C)

Maintaining personal hygiene in food handling helps prevent contamination and keeps food safe for customers. Wearing clean uniforms reduces the chance of dirt or grime from clothing transferring to food-contact surfaces. Restraining hair prevents hair from falling into food, and avoiding food preparation when sick stops the spread of germs to the food and anyone who handles it. These practices, along with proper handwashing, form essential habits for safe service. Jewelry can harbor bacteria and shed into food, working while sick can transfer illness, and using the same gloves for money handling and food creates cross-contamination—so those behaviors undermine food safety.