Tests for Food Handlers

Ensuring the well-being of both colleagues and the public is of paramount importance when it comes to preventing potential infections transmitted by food handlers. A food handler encompasses individuals engaged in various aspects of food processing, production, sale, and service. Food handlers should promptly notify their supervisor if they have an illness that could be transmitted through food or if they have specific medical conditions that may pose a risk. Infections that can be transmitted by food handlers encompass E. coli, Salmonella, Hepatitis A, and other pathogens.

Pre-Employment Health Screening for Food Handlers:

Complete Blood Count (CBC)

Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)

Hemoglobin (Hb)

Stool Routine

Urine Routine

Fasting Blood Sugar

Blood Group

Stool Culture

Widal Test

HIV, HBsAg

Chest X-Ray

Certain conditions, such as tuberculosis and blood-borne infections like HIV and Hepatitis B, should be monitored prior to employment and at six-month intervals thereafter to protect colleagues. It's worth noting that infectious agents can persist in feces even after symptoms have subsided. Hence, it's advisable to continue excluding food handlers from work for a period of 48 hours following an illness. Moreover, strict adherence to personal hygiene practices, especially thorough hand washing, should be observed upon returning to work.

Tests for Individuals Returning from Diarrhea Illness:

Stool Routine

Stool Culture (Three consecutive samples taken 48 hours apart in cases of cholera, typhoid, and dysentery should test negative)

Widal Test

HAV Test