Personal hygiene is as important as the food handling measures discussed in chapter 4. Poor personal hygiene can equally affect the safety of the food you prepare and serve. Microorganisms like to hitchhike, which means they will catch a ride on anything available to them - this includes your clothes, hands, skin, and any other body part they can use to make their way into food.

Consider, for a moment, some of the different things involved in personal hygiene:

• Handwashing

• Glove Use

• Clothing and Aprons

• Hair Covers

• Illness

• Smoking

Now let’s look at how they might impact food safety and sanitation. Watch the video to your right to learn some of the things that matter, and then click "Next" to continue to explore each point more thoroughly.