Saturday, March 03, 2007

Nice To Know

Anyone who's read this blog for more than a few weeks will know I'm no great fan of bureaucrats. I just have trouble understanding the bureaucratic mind.

Take this, from the Australian and New Zealand Food Standards Code...

15-Hygiene of food handlers
A food handler must, when engaging in any food handling operation -
f) not sneeze, blow or cough over unprotected food or surfaces likely to come into contact with food;
g) not spit, smoke or use tobacco or similar preparations in areas in which food is handled; and
h) not urinate or defecate except in a toilet
.

Ok. Thanks for clarifying that, because until I saw that they needed to put something in the Government Regulations about it, I didn't know that people defecating in food preparation areas was a problem.

Seriously. Do they really need to write that up? I mean, isn't it just bloody obvious?

Are food workers so stupid that they don't know these things? Or maybe they're so unclean that this is natural behaviour to them, in which case, I don't want them preparing my food.

And if it's that important to state the obvious, why didn't they prohibit engaging in sexual activity near food, or exercising in a food preparation area? What about chewing gum? Or snorting cocaine?

I just don't get it. Bah!

6 comments:

pitfinder said...

I'm not going to tell you why I think this, but I think these regulations are meant to apply to things like peeing in the bathroom sink, floor drains, and alleys where some splashing and the like might occur. Then employees don't get clean before they go back to work.

(Don't ask, really.)

gothcat said...

Have you met some australian food handlers?that will answer all....lol

Ms Brown Mouse said...

This is why I, generally, prefer to eat food prepared by me at home. I KNOW I've washed my hands and that neither Mr Brown or myself piddle in the kitchen sink!
Mr Bear, I think you'd very much enjoy a book I just finished, Big Babies by Michael Bywater, he is most vocal on this sort of thing.

Chester The Bear said...

Hmmm. I still wonder why they felt a need to codify this. Wouldn't it be simpler to just have a regulation making it an offence to engage in any behaviour or activity which may contaminate food?

Or is that too simple for the mind of a bureaucrat?

Matsby said...

Wow, that is wild. I am with you, they shouldn't have to post that. In fact if you have any questions about where it is appropriate (or not) to poop, You shouldn't be working - anywhere!

Maybe part of any job interview they should ask "where do we go potty?" and let that be the deciding factor.

Chester The Bear said...

Oh. Gatsby. You've got it!
They clearly need a "toilet habits" section in teh job application form.
Perfect.