The ‘Five Second Rule,’ which is the idea that you can still eat food that has fallen on the floor if you pick it up within five seconds, was first disproved by high school student Jillian Clarke during an internship at the University of Illinois in 2003. Mysophobia, commonly known as germophobia, is the fear of contamination and germs and the term was also coined in 1879. Some of the surfaces that are most highly contaminated with bacteria include shopping cart handles, restaurant menus, magazines in a doctors office, all types of physical money, public door handles and the brush of a vacuum. According to a University of Arizona bacteriologist, about 93 percent of all shoes have fecal bacteria on the bottom. Meat that is stored in the refrigerator should be stored as low as possible in order to prevent drippings from leaking down and contaminating other food.

Given the exposure we all face to germs and bacteria, it is important for everyone to be aware of food safety and sanitation. To ensure your kitchen and restaurant stay free from harmful germs, take some time to educate and properly train your employees on safety and sanitation in the kitchen. A great way to keep your staff and your establishment up to standard is through food safety and sanitation training. The methods vary from booklets, group classes and even online courses that use food safety facts, kitchen safety tips and proper food preparation safety guidelines to educate food service workers on the finer points of food safety and sanitation.

It is also important to be aware of kitchen hygiene when it comes to food safety and sanitation. Keeping a clean kitchen reduces the risk of festering bacteria or germs waiting around to be picked up, transferred onto a plate and to a customers piece of food. Having people who are properly educated on food safety and sanitation will reduce the risk of having any issues. Take some time to understand what type of food safety and sanitation training your people will benefit from most and begin seeing the rewards of keeping a clean and healthy kitchen. You should explore the internet for your options or, if you are still in the information gathering phase, talk with other food service professionals to get an idea of what type of training works best.