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Hi, Am I right in thinking that face coverings whilst preparing (not serving) food or coffee (from a COVID contact with food) is not required and just standard food preparation protocols are to be followed? I can't find any definative guidance on this aspect.
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Originally Posted by: Tinkerbel7  Hi, Am I right in thinking that face coverings whilst preparing (not serving) food or coffee (from a COVID contact with food) is not required and just standard food preparation protocols are to be followed? I can't find any definative guidance on this aspect.
You are correct. Face coverings are only required for person to person contact. It is very unlikely (read as no known mechanism) that the virus is spread through food contact, especially if the food is served hot. In saying that, it would be possible for it to spread from plate/cutlery contamination onto the customers hands etc. The government guidance listed above is becoming obsolete, as the government changes its mind every other day. However, it is what we have to go by, and as RVThompson states, it does say they are not compulsory.
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sorry, can't edit. I didn't mean to say required. Face coverings are only (marginally) useful for person to person contact
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Interesting question. I have always noted the differences between protective/hygienic equipment used in food production, to that used in the average cafe/restaurant, and pondered as to what the difference is in practical terms. If the aim is to prevent those preparing food from contaminating it, and face coverings are a means to prevent passing on infections to others, then why aren't they used in cafes/restaurants. Discuss.
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I’d want to take that point further. Is it acceptable for someone working in a café or sandwich bar to serve customers, handle money, and prepare food, whilst wearing their own clothes that they go home in? Mind you, how many times have you seen a chef/cook in a supermarket whilst in their ‘whites’? All food handlers should have a good knowledge of food hygiene – I must admit that without looking I don’t know what the minimum standard is for working with food.
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There is indeed a double standard when it comes to food preparation. Food hygiene certificates on the wall mean very little against this anomaly. So far, we have largely got away with it as regards infections, but the world has now changed, and it is high time we got onboard with the realities of life and infection risks.
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Nurses travel to work everyday in uniform. Cafe's.....what?
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It is about the degree of risk.
If your food factory has an incident then the process to recall potentially contaminated items from the supply chain can be horrendously expensive. In a cafe / restaraunt the quantity likley to need recalling is by comparison minute and very locallised.
The "masks" in industrial food preparation are typically beard nets to prevent hair contamination of the food stuff not to control infectious pathogens. Even the organisations that do provide uniforms for staff typically fail to have sufficient lockers and changing facilities as evidenced by the staff trudging to and from their shift. Food hygiene is about controlling the risks that could result in food poisoning - cross contamination, pest & vermin control, storage conditions, cleaning......
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Rank: Super forum user
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It is about the degree of risk.
If your food factory has an incident then the process to recall potentially contaminated items from the supply chain can be horrendously expensive. In a cafe / restaraunt the quantity likley to need recalling is by comparison minute and very locallised.
The "masks" in industrial food preparation are typically beard nets to prevent hair contamination of the food stuff not to control infectious pathogens. Even the organisations that do provide uniforms for staff typically fail to have sufficient lockers and changing facilities as evidenced by the staff trudging to and from their shift. Food hygiene is about controlling the risks that could result in food poisoning - cross contamination, pest & vermin control, storage conditions, cleaning......
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Rank: Super forum user
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Originally Posted by: Ron Hunter Nurses travel to work everyday in uniform. Cafe's.....what? The only nurses that should be travelling to and from work in uniform are district/community nurses who are going directly to patients. Hospital nurses should not be travelling in uniform. The matrons of the past were quite strict on this as part of infection control, but standards have lapsed.
Nurses are not usually preparing food for others.
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