Food Safety Modernization Act: Personal Hygiene

Good personal hygiene is critical for minimizing the risk of produce contamination. Personal hygiene is essential to prevent the introduction and spread of microbes in the growing, packing or holding environment where people work.

The produce safety rule requires that personnel must use hygienic practices while working with produce or food contact surfaces to protect them from contamination. These personal hygiene practices must include all of the following practices: 

• Maintaining adequate personal cleanliness.
• Avoiding contact with animals other than working animals and taking steps such as washing hands, and changing clothes or footwear to reduce the likelihood of produce contamination when in direct contact with working animals.
• Removing or covering hand jewelry that cannot be adequately cleaned and sanitized when produce is manipulated by hand.
• Drinking, eating, chewing gum, or using tobacco products only in designated areas not used for a covered activity as described by the rule, however, drinking beverages is permitted in designated areas.
• If gloves are used, maintaining them in intact and sanitary condition.
• Washing hands at the required opportunities.

The produce safety rule also requires that you take measures to prevent the contamination of produce and food contact surfaces with microorganisms of public health significance. This can be achieved by:

• Excluding any person from working in any operation that may result in contamination of covered produce or food contact surfaces with microorganisms of public health significance when the person (by medical examination, the person's acknowledgement, or observation) is shown to have, or appears to have, an applicable health condition such as open or infected wounds, vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice (a sudden yellowing of eyes), until the person's health condition no longer presents a risk to public health.
• Instructing personnel to notify their supervisor, or a responsible party, if they have, or if there is a reasonable possibility that they have an applicable health condition.

For more information, please visit the Penn State Extension FSMA section.

This program was developed by Food Safety CTS, LLC, for Penn State Extension. Supported by a USDA NIFA Food Safety Outreach Program grant titled "Bilingual Produce Safety Educational Programming for Hispanic/Latino Fresh Produce Growers and Farmworkers in Pennsylvania," USDA NIFA Award number 2017-70020-27236