Food Safety During Culinary Activities

Hygiene and food safety at cooking workshops

Children of all ages love to play chef! Getting children involved in culinary activities is a great way for them to have fun while developing skills they can use throughout their lives. At the same time, you can also teach them about hygiene and food safety.

Hygiene and food safety rules for a successful workshop

• Find out if any children in your group have intolerances or allergies to any of the ingredients in the recipe and if so, modify it so that everyone can take part in the activity.
• Make sure all work surfaces and kitchen tools are clean and in good condition.
• Ask children to wash their hands with warm water and soap before starting the activity and whenever necessary (e.g., after going to the bathroom, sneezing or touching their face).
• If a child has an open wound on their hand, cover the wound with a waterproof bandage and a waterproof glove.
• Have everyone tie back long hair and roll up long sleeves.
• If you’re using perishable foods, store them in a refrigerator or cooler with ice packs at 4°C (40°F) or below until right before you need to use them. To avoid food-borne illness, food should spend as little time as possible between 4°C and 60°C.
• Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly under running water. Wash thick-skinned fruit and vegetables such as melons with a brush. Even if you won’t be eating the peels of certain fruits and vegetables, it’s a good idea to wash them to avoid contaminating the inside.

With these simple tips, kids can have fun and cook safely!

For information on refrigerator and freezer storage times, see the "Thermoguide".