Information Services PO Box 52, North Ryde 2113. Food Science Australia will provide food industry clients with complete, integrated research, technical, training and commercial product and process development services. The Highett laboratory will be relocated to Werribee. Hand drying and hygiene Personal hygiene of food handlers is an important part of a food hygiene program. There are various recommended procedures for food handlers to follow during hand washing.
Recommendations also exist for the type of sanitizer to be used.
Recent reports in the United Kingdom and France highlight the importance of hand drying procedures in personal hygiene. Both confirm earlier work that hot-air hand dryers are less effective than paper in removing bacteria. Microbiological studies showed that bacteria are removed from the hands efficiently by normal washing with soap and drying with towels. In contrast, bacterial counts on the hands increase after standard washing and hot air drying times. The authors acknowledge that some studies contradict their finding and suggest this is due to differences in methodology.