hygiene-technologie-en , news_en , personalhygiene-en

Personnel hygiene in the food industry: importance in 2025

Personnel hygiene will continue to be of paramount importance for the food industry and catering sector in 2025. Every year, around 100,000 illnesses are reported in Germany that can be caused by bacteria, germs, viruses or parasites in food. According to experts, the number of unreported cases is likely to be significantly higher. Anyone who produces food professionally in 2025 will therefore have a high degree of responsibility to produce food hygienically and thus protect employees and consumers. In addition, the consequences of poor personnel hygiene are fatal for businesses.

Food safety: regulations 2025

The regulations for the food industry have not changed in recent years. In 2025, the EU laws and directives that essentially date from 2004 to 2007 will still apply to personnel hygiene:

Food hygiene
  • EU food hygiene regulations No. 852 2004 in Annex II, Chapter VIII under the area of “personnel hygiene” and No. 853/2004
  • Regulation on the implementation of provisions of Community legislation on food hygiene

What is important when it comes to personnel hygiene?

One of the greatest hygiene risks in the food industry is and remains humans. They are colonized by numerous microorganisms. Even a healthy person can be a carrier of germs that cause food to spoil easily. Wherever there are points of contact between perishable or sensitive products and people, personnel hygiene must therefore be guaranteed.

While hygiene regulations have hardly changed in the last 20 years, hygiene technology has evolved. Ensuring personnel hygiene using modern hygiene technology is now a matter of course in companies with hygiene-sensitive areas.

With individual personnel hygiene concepts, training and appropriate equipment, facilities remain in control in the long term. The HACCP guidelines serve as an essential basis for personnel hygiene.

To ensure personnel hygiene, PHT offers efficient systems that have been designed with years of practical experience. The products combine maximum hygiene safety with ease of maintenance and resource conservation..

With the right hygiene technology, hygiene stations and social room equipment, you can ensure maximum product safety in your business.

Top view of a business with different product categories as an example of a hygiene concept in hygiene-sensitive areas.

Key points of personnel hygiene in the regulations

  • Daily body cleansing
  • Wash and disinfect hands regularly and thoroughly
  • Strict separation of private and work clothing
  • Cleaned soles and shoes
  • Clean, short, unpainted fingernails
  • Wear fresh clothing every day
  • Before starting work: remove hand jewelry and wristwatch
  • Waterproof covering of open wounds
  • Report illnesses to the company management immediately

Why is personnel hygiene the critical hygiene factor?

The human body is warm and moist. These factors provide ideal conditions for germs to multiply. Humans can harbor a variety of microorganisms, including streptococci, staphylococci, bacteria of the intestinal tract (e.g. salmonella, shigella and Escherichia coli) as well as all pathogens of cholera, infectious hepatitis and infectious amoebic dysentery.

We transfer the most germs with our hands. An unwashed hand is colonized with around 10 million germs. Many pathogenic germs can also be found on the scalp and hair. When a person moves quickly, up to 30,000,000 particles are emitted per minute. In comparison: when sitting, it is “only” 100,000 particles/min. Another transmission factor to food: sneezing.

In addition to microorganisms, people also introduce contaminants such as dirt, dust, dandruff, hair or shoe sole abrasion into hygiene-sensitive areas.

Professionelle Hygieneschleuse von PHT sichert die Personalhygiene

Do you want to ensure personnel hygiene in your company? The PHT Group offers you comprehensive solutions for personnel hygiene. We will be happy to advise you.