Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act No. 54 of 1972RegulationsRegulations Governing General Hygiene Requirements for Food Premises and the Transport of Food11. Duties of a food handler |
| (1) | Food, a facility or a container shall not be handled by any person— |
| (a) | whose hands or clothes are not clean; |
| (b) | whose fingernails are not trimmed and clean; |
| (b) | who has not washed his or her hands thoroughly with soap and water or cleaned them in another effective manner— |
| (i) | immediately prior to the commencement of each work shift; |
| (ii) | at the beginning of the day's work or after a rest period; |
| (ii) | after every visit to a latrine or urinal; |
| (iii) | every time he or she has blown his or her nose or after his or her hands have been in contact with perspiration or with his or her hair, nose or mouth; |
| (iv) | after handling a handkerchief, money or a refuse container or refuse; |
| (v) | after handling raw vegetables, fruit, eggs, meat or fish and before handling ready-to-use food; |
| (vi) | after he or she has smoked or used tobacco in any form or on return to the food premises; or |
| (vii) | after handling a foodstuff classified as a common allergen where such contamination can result in the cross contamination of other food not associated with common allergens; or |
| (viii) | after his or her hands have become contaminated for any other reason. |
| (2) | Food, a facility or a container shall not be handled by any person— |
| (a) | who has on his or her body a suppurating abscess or a sore or a cut or abrasion, including other infected skin lesions, unless covered with a moisture proof dressing which is firmly secured to prevent contamination of the food; |
| (b) | who is or who is suspected of suffering from or being a carrier of a disease or condition in its contagious stage likely to be transmitted through food, unless any such person immediately reports the disease or condition to the person in charge which, inter alia, includes jaundice; diarrhoea; vomiting; fever; sore throat with fever and discharges fromthe ear, eye or nose: Provided a certificate by a medical practitioner stating that such person is fit to handle food is submitted; |
| (c) | whose hands or clothing are not clean. |
| (3) | No person shall— |
| (a) | spit in an area where food is handled or on any facility; |
| (b) | smoke or use tobacco in any other manner while he or she is handling non-prepacked food or while he or she is in an area where such food is handled; |
| (c) | handle non-prepacked food in a manner that brings it into contact with any exposed part of his or her body, excluding his or her hands; |
| (d) | lick his or her fingers when he or she is handling non-prepacked food or material for the wrapping of food; |
| (e) | cough or sneeze over non-prepacked food or food containers or facilities; |
| (f) | spit on whetstones or bring meat skewers, labels, equipment, or any other object used in the handling of food or any part of his or her hands into contact with his or her mouth, or inflate sausage casings, bags or other wrappings by mouth or in any other manner that may contaminate the food; |
| (g) | walk, stand, sit or lie on food or on non-hermetically sealed containers containing food or on containers or on food-processing surfaces or other facilities; |
| (h) | use a hand washbasin for the cleaning of facilities; or |
| (i) | while he or she is handling food, perform any act other than those referred to above which could contaminate or spoil food. |