Articles
September 24, 2026
National Food Safety Month, week 4: Practicing proper personal hygiene
Following the right routines will help protect your guests and employees from illness.
Because foodborne pathogens can attach to skin and hair, there’s a far greater risk of transferring them onto food and equipment when food handlers don’t follow a personal hygiene routine.
Ensuring the staff at your restaurant practices proper personal hygiene is a primary defense against the spread of harmful bacteria, viruses, and foodborne illnesses to customers.
Because foodborne pathogens can attach to skin and hair, there’s a far greater risk of transferring them onto food and equipment when food handlers don’t follow a personal hygiene routine. This includes showering or bathing before work, maintaining clean hands and nails, putting on disposable gloves when necessary, wearing clean clothing daily, and ensuring that hair is covered and jewelry not worn during food prep.
During week 4 of the National Restaurant Association’s five-week National Food Safety Month initiative is focusing on how to ensure employees practice safe personal hygiene every shift, every day. Entitled “A Recipe for Food Safety Success,” the program is designed to help strengthen food safety best practices and instill a strong food safety culture at restaurant and foodservice operations.
The Association originally launched National Food Safety Month in 1994 to raise awareness of food safety education and training across the restaurant industry. Every September since then, it’s showcased a new theme and related ServSafe resources. Download week 4’s food-safety bundle of posters on proper hygiene and handwashing techniques that reinforce proper habits that can help protect guests at every meal served.
Explore the latest food-safety bundle on our National Food Safety Month page
Because foodborne pathogens can attach to skin and hair, there’s a far greater risk of transferring them onto food and equipment when food handlers don’t follow a personal hygiene routine. This includes showering or bathing before work, maintaining clean hands and nails, putting on disposable gloves when necessary, wearing clean clothing daily, and ensuring that hair is covered and jewelry not worn during food prep.
During week 4 of the National Restaurant Association’s five-week National Food Safety Month initiative is focusing on how to ensure employees practice safe personal hygiene every shift, every day. Entitled “A Recipe for Food Safety Success,” the program is designed to help strengthen food safety best practices and instill a strong food safety culture at restaurant and foodservice operations.
The Association originally launched National Food Safety Month in 1994 to raise awareness of food safety education and training across the restaurant industry. Every September since then, it’s showcased a new theme and related ServSafe resources. Download week 4’s food-safety bundle of posters on proper hygiene and handwashing techniques that reinforce proper habits that can help protect guests at every meal served.
Explore the latest food-safety bundle on our National Food Safety Month page
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