Blog, Food preparation, General news
Washing hands before eating – how many Australians aren’t getting it right…
Jan
Everyone has been taught how important hand hygiene is – so why is it still overlooked by many?
With the new focus on its importance because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as with its crucial role in helping to avoid food poisoning, it would be a logical assumption that hand washing done properly will be an activity that everyone would be diligently undertaking.
A recent article on the SBS website however, shows that, in Australia at least, there’s still a long way to go before enough people get the message…
Yasmin Noone’s report is centred around a number of myths that appear to have arisen when it comes to the hoped-for association between food safety, infection control and proper hand hygiene.
Washing hands before touching food – or not…
She quotes the Food Safety Information Council (FSIC) who’s recent survey revealed a number of worrying conclusions.
“…over 40 per cent of Australians don’t always wash hands before touching food.”
Amazingly, this percentage reveals a five percent fall on the previous year’s survey, which was undertaken before coronavirus even appeared!
And just as worryingly reveals Ms Noone, nearly twenty percent of Australians don’t wash their hands after going to the toilet…
Lydia Buchtmann, who is the FSIC’s communication director, is quoted in the report.
“Hand washing is the best way to remove any viruses or bacteria from your hands that spreads food poisoning…”
“But we’re also in the middle of a pandemic and hand washing is one of the key ways of preventing the spread of Covid-19. Yet some people are still not doing it.”
5 things you need to know about washing your hands before you eat »
Hand wash units – take them to wherever they’re needed!
Teal portable hand wash units are available to buy.
The Teal range of mobile sinks includes the MediWash, Hygienius and Hygienius ProWash, BigSynk, Super Stallette, TEALwash, Handeman Xtra, Compact Classic and WashStand.
How to choose the correct mobile sink »
Teal’s Australia and New Zealand distributor »
Teal’s representative for Australia and New Zealand is Transplumb, supplier of portable sinks, basins and hand washing stations.