Research has shown that taking precautions such
as properly washing your hands reduces the likelihood of getting foodborne
illnesses and side effects such as diarrhea. Whether you are a consumer
purchasing food or the person making or selling the food, there are several
sanitation steps you need to follow. Unfortunately, many often overlook
these relatively simple actions which can prevent more trouble in the long run.
According to the Washington State Food and Beverage Workers’ Manual,
steps to reduce the likelihood of getting a foodborne illness are as follows:
wash food and vegetables carefully, look closely at the foods you prepare, keep
the food preparation area free of things that can fall into the food, only use
approved containers to store food, protect food before you clean the cooking or
preparation area, use approved sources of water, cook meat and fish at
appropriate temperatures, do not work with food if you have diarrhea, are
vomiting, have a fever, wash your hands after using the restroom, use gloves or
utensils when handling ready-to-eat food, and more. Although these steps
won’t completely guarantee a person won’t get sick, it significantly reduces
the chances.
Many of these steps may seem like common sense, but according to a
representative for the Virgin Islands Department of Health, many vendors are
not aware of proper food handling techniques and many consumers are not aware
of things to consider before purchasing food from street vendors.
For example, many are not aware of guidelines for vendors regarding hair
protection and nail polish. Not following proper guidelines can result in
the removal of food permit.
One simple way that vendors as well as
carnival-goers to protect themselves is to participate in proper handwashing.
This includes washing hands before handling food, after handling food,
after sneezing, after blowing your nose, after coughing, and after using the
restroom. Workers dealing with food during Carnival need to practice effective
hygiene, specifically handwashing, since they have direct contact with food and
the consumers. “Handwashing is thought to be effective for the prevention
of transmission of diarrhea pathogens” (Burton, 2011). The World Health Organization
(WHO) recognizes the spread of diarrheal diseases as a serious global problem
(WHO, 2008) and
estimates that each year, there are more than 2.2 million lives lost due to
these infections, more than from malaria, HIV/AIDS and measles combined
“(Boschi-Pinto, 2008).
“Foodborne illnesses increase during summer
months.” Although Carnival takes place in spring, the US Virgin Islands has
summer-like weather during that time. This is typically because there is
more outdoor cooking when the temperature is warmer outside. One issue
with outdoor cooking, particularly at fairs and festivals, is the lack of
temperature control and washing facilities. The CDC provides multiple
questions for consumers to consider when purchasing food at festivals and
fairs. They include the following: Does the vendor have a clean/tidy workstation?
Does the vendor have a sink for employees to wash their hands? Do the employees
wear gloves or use tongs when handling food? Does the vendor have
refrigeration on site for raw ingredients or pre-cooked foods? Has the vendor
been inspected? Requirements vary by state, but in general temporary and mobile
vendors, like those at fairs and carnivals, should have a license to sell food
and beverages in a particular state or county. You can check with the local
health department to see if the vendors are licensed and if a food inspection
has been completed.
“Despite
methodological strengths and limitations, the weight of evidence from the
studies discussed above collectively suggests that personal and environmental
hygiene reduces the spread of infection. The consistent findings in both the
intervention and observational studies support the conclusion that hygiene
interventions other than infrastructure implementation are important for
preventing infections” (Aiello, 2002).
For more sanitation tips, please contact the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Health at www.healthvi.org.
For more sanitation tips, please contact the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Health at www.healthvi.org.
Aiello AE, Coulborn RM, Perez V, Larson EL. Effect of hand hygiene on infectious disease risk in the community setting: a meta-analysis.Am J Public Health. 2008;98(8):1372-81.
Boschi-Pinto, C.; Velebit, L.; Shibuya, K. Estimating child mortality due to diarrhoea in
developing countries. Bull. WHO 2008, 86, 710-707.
Burton M, Cobb E, Donachie P, Judah G, Curtis V, Schmidt WP. The effect of handwashing with water or soap on bacterial contamination of hands. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2011 Jan;8(1):97-104.
Ejemot, R.I.; Ehiri, J.E.; Meremikwu, M.M.; Critchley, J.A. Hand washing for preventing
diarrhoea. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2008, 1, Art. No. CD004265, DOI:
10.1002/14651858.CD004265.pub2.
Todd EC, Michaels BS, Holah J, Smith D, Greig JD, Bartleson CA. Outbreaks where food workers have been implicated in the spread of foodborne disease. Part 10. Alcohol-based antiseptics for hand disinfection and a comparison of their effectiveness with soaps. J Food Prot. 2010 Nov;73(11):2128-40.
WHO Health Statistics 2008, Mortality and Burden of Disease; WHO: Geneva, Switzerland,
2008; Available online: http://www.who.int/whosis/whostat/EN_WHS08_Table1_Mort.pdf
(accessed on 16 November 2010). 