Personnel Practices

Personnel practices are the hygiene and health rules food workers follow, such as handwashing, clean clothing, hair restraints and reporting illness, so that people don't contaminate food.

  • Food safety
  • Food safety programs

FDA's manufacturing rule (21 CFR 117.10) requires anyone handling food, food-contact surfaces or packaging to follow hygienic practices on duty. That means suitable outer garments and personal cleanliness; thorough handwashing before work, after each absence from the workstation and whenever hands may be soiled; removing unsecured jewelry; keeping gloves intact and clean; wearing hair nets, caps or beard covers; storing personal items away from food; and eating, drinking or using tobacco only in designated areas. Workers with an illness or open sore that could contaminate food must be kept from those tasks unless the sore is properly covered. All workers need food hygiene training, with records kept.

CDC reports that norovirus causes about half of U.S. food-related outbreaks and that most of them trace back to sick people who handle or prepare food. FDA singles out six especially infectious pathogens that ill food workers readily spread, called the Big 6. Good personal practices also prevent physical hazards and allergen cross-contact, since loose jewelry can drop into food and clothing or hands can carry allergens between products.

Key facts

Handwashing time (FDA)
At least 20 seconds, including 10–15 seconds of scrubbing
Big 6 pathogens
Norovirus, hepatitis A, Salmonella Typhi, Shigella, STEC, nontyphoidal Salmonella
Norovirus share of outbreaks
About half of U.S. food-related outbreaks (CDC)
Jaundice exclusion
Applies if onset was within the last 7 days

In a bakery or commercial kitchen

  • Require handwashing of at least 20 seconds, with 10 to 15 seconds of scrubbing, at shift start and after breaks
  • Have workers report vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever, or infected wounds or boils before they start work
  • Provide hair nets and beard covers, and allow no hand or arm jewelry except a plain ring
  • Use tongs, bakery tissue or single-use gloves for ready-to-eat items like frosted cakes and finished breads
  • Train every worker, including temporary and seasonal staff, in food hygiene, and keep the training records

For home and cottage bakers

  • Wash hands with soap for at least 20 seconds before, during and after baking, and after touching pets or garbage
  • Don't bake for others while sick; wait at least 48 hours after vomiting or diarrhea end
  • Tie back long hair, take off rings and bracelets, and cover any cuts on your hands
  • Use hand sanitizer only as a backup, since it doesn't replace soap and water against norovirus

Related entries

Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 17, 2026.

  1. 21 CFR 117.10 Personnel, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
  2. 21 CFR 117.4 Qualifications of individuals who manufacture, process, pack, or hold food, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
  3. Retail Food Protection: Employee Health and Personal Hygiene Handbook, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  4. About Handwashing, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  5. Norovirus Fact Sheet for Food Workers, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention