Preparing/Serving Sandwiches - Hygiene Training?

I suggest that you contact the food safety team of your local council, they are likely to run courses at a discounted rate for organisations such as yours, and may even be able to provide a general food safety & hand washing demonstration for the volunteers and the young people that you work with.

Most of the time we buy-in sandwiches but one member of staff prefers to make sandwiches herself to keep costs down and give the particular young people she works with what they want.

I think I will suggest that if she wants to continue doing this she attends hygiene training and I will get together some clear information to disseminate to other staff re. general kitchen hygiene and storing & serving 'bought-in' sandwiches etc.

Thank-you very much for all your thoughts on this.

I'd agree with Kate - either ensure staff are trained and have a food hygeine certificate or let the kids make their own sandwiches (removes the problem of litigation re making them).
Quite honestly, I'd only want bought in sarnies or one's I'd sent if it was my kids, rather than anyone who happened to be available making them. Do you provide disposable gloves to the sandwich makers? where do you get the fillers? How long do you store them, and where? All these questions need good answers if your volunteers are making sandwiches, before I'd want them for myself or my family.

not Swine Flu surely?

The best prevention against this is, wait for it, handwashing and basic hygiene

I totally disagree, particularly in this litigious age and with concerns regarding transmissable diseases such as Swine Flu, where the issue may boil down to one of cleanliness. Anyone handling food for other should fold an up to date Basic Food Hygiene certificate. Sorry guys, but it's cheaper than being sued.

Kate

I would say a basic course/teaching in handwashing would suffice, this is the main concern as a lot of people still do not wash their hands.

They should also be told about jewellery, cuts, covering cuts, what to do about skin compliants etc and nails, not biting, keeping clean etc. Have a look at peoples fingers and ask yourself if you'd want those making something you were going to eat.

The food in this country should not really pose a health risk in the setting you mention, unless they are cooking chicken for example or handling raw meats.

Thanks for that Phill.

I do think some kind of 'giving out of information' would certainly be beneficial but wonder if training and certification might be a bit over the top particularly considering we are a charity and have limited resources in terms of both money & staff time. In offices around the country secretaries are dishing-out sandwiches for meetings etc. and I doubt if they have undergone this training.

I think probably, although not absolutely sure TBH.

The certificate caters for (excuse the pun) many things, such as ensuring personnel cleanliness (hand washing etc) and how to correctly store food.

If your staff are handling food the food hygeine course is beneficial IMO

I work for a voluntary sector organisation which provides various services for young people. From time to time we provide food to our service-users, staff & volunteers. For example, we may buy-in sandwiches for a training course for staff & volunteers; staff may make or buy sandwiches to give to young people during an activity etc.

One of our staff was recently asked if she had a Food Hygiene Certificate.

My question is, do you think this is necessary?