Did you know that proper handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs and it only takes 20 seconds?
Proper handwashing plays a vital role in reducing the likelihood of transmitting foodborne illnesses to shoppers and co-workers in our fresh departments. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the spread of germs from the hands of food workers accounts for 89% of the estimated 48 million cases of foodborne illness that occur annually in the United States.
The International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) is conducting the Safe Food Matters! Focus on Handwashing campaign to build awareness on the importance of handwashing to prevent the spread of foodborne illnesses through contact and cross-contamination, and provide food retailers and manufacturers with education, training, and resources to help managers and service associates in their fresh departments.
“Improving handwashing practices in our fresh departments is critical,” said Mary Kay O’Connor, VP Education, IDDBA. “It’s important to educate employees about the impact of washing hands and how and when to wash hands. By bringing awareness to handwashing, we’re able to reduce the risk of contaminated food that can lead to illness and food poisoning and help to prevent cross-contamination.”
For over 28 years, IDDBA has been a leader in providing quality food safety information to its members. This includes online and mobile training videos, job guides, podcasts, workbooks, and educational presentations.
Current and planned programs around the Safe Food Matters! Focus on Handwashing campaign include:
- Social media campaign aimed at store-level associates in fresh departments to increase awareness of how and when to wash hands
- Understanding the benefit that when a retailer includes a reminder to wash hands on a recipe card, 70 to 80% will do so, according to Kansas State University
- Handwashing training course at training.iddba.org
- IDDBA handwashing job guides
- Up to $2,000 in food safety certification reimbursement
To learn more about IDDBA’s Safe Food Matters! Focus on Handwashing campaign, visit iddba.org.
About IDDBA: IDDBA is a nonprofit membership organization serving the dairy, deli, bakery, cheese, and supermarket foodservice industries. Member companies enjoy many benefits and services including the annual tradeshow, leading-edge research, training programs, management tools, and an annual trends report. For more information contact IDDBA at 608-310-5000 or visit iddba.org.
.Source: International Dairy Deli Bakery Association™ (IDDBA)
