An employee hygiene policy is one page that says how people keep themselves from contaminating the food: who stays home when sick, when to wash hands, what to wear, and what stays out of production. For a food plant that registers with FDA, the federal good manufacturing practice rule lists the topics: excluding anyone with an illness or open sore that could contaminate food, unless it's covered; telling staff to report health conditions; clean outer garments; handwashing before work and after every absence; no loose jewelry; intact gloves; hair restraints; belongings kept out of production; and no eating, gum, drinks or tobacco where food is exposed. Kitchens under the FDA Food Code, which states adopt in their own versions, add a list of symptoms and diagnoses to report, from vomiting and diarrhea to norovirus and hepatitis A. Write your policy in your own words, have everyone read and sign it, and keep a log of illness reports. In the example below, a Kansas pasta maker puts its policy on one page.
The short version
- One page, in plain words, posted where people change and read by everyone.
- Sick with vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, a sore throat with fever, or an infected cut: report it and stay off food.
- Cover cuts with a waterproof bandage, and a glove on the hands.
- Wash hands before work, after breaks and the restroom, and whenever they're dirty.
- Clean apron, no loose jewelry, hair restrained, belongings in lockers.
- No eating, drinking, gum or tobacco where food is exposed.
- TaroStack doesn't track training; it keeps the batch records and sign-offs an inspector reads alongside the policy. More below.
What the policy covers
| Topic | What the policy says |
|---|---|
| Illness | What to report, to whom, and when to stay off food |
| Cuts and sores | Covered, with a glove on the hands |
| Handwashing | Before work, after absences, after anything dirty |
| Clothing | Clean outer garments, taken off outside production |
| Jewelry | Removed, or covered if it can't come off |
| Gloves | Intact and clean, changed between tasks |
| Hair | Hairnets and beard nets |
| Belongings, food and drink | Kept out of production |
| Allergens | Change gloves and aprons between allergen products |
Training records for the same people are in employee training log template, and the rest of a plant's written programs in what is a food safety plan.
The rules
| Rule | Where |
|---|---|
| Disease control | Anyone shown or appearing to have an illness, open lesion or other contamination source is excluded from operations that could contaminate food unless it's covered; staff are told to report health conditions (21 CFR 117.10(a)) |
| Cleanliness | Suitable outer garments, personal cleanliness, handwashing before work and after absences, jewelry removed or covered, gloves intact, hair restraints, belongings stored away, no eating, gum, drinks or tobacco where food is exposed (117.10(b)) |
| Reporting, retail | Vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever, an infected lesion, and diagnoses including norovirus, hepatitis A, Shigella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli and Salmonella (Food Code 2022, 2-201.11) |
This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: a pasta maker's one-page policy
Prairie Mill Pasta, the made-up fresh and dried pasta maker in Lawrence, Kansas, I use in these examples, has five people in production, packing and delivery. Its policy, part of it:
| Rule | What Prairie Mill does |
|---|---|
| Report illness | Tell the shift lead before starting if you have vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, a sore throat with fever, or an infected cut |
| Handwashing | At the hand sink before starting, after every break and the restroom, after touching your face, phone or trash |
| Jewelry | A plain band only; no watches, bracelets or earrings |
| Hair | Hairnet in production; beard net for facial hair |
| Allergens | Change apron and gloves and wash hands after egg ravioli filling, before egg-free pasta |
Everyone signs it when hired and again each January. In October a packer called in with vomiting overnight; the owner sent them home and logged it, and the packer came back after 48 hours without symptoms, which is Prairie Mill's own rule. The allergen line exists because the same bench makes egg ravioli and egg-free rigatoni, which is in allergen control plan template.
Get the template
Download the employee hygiene policy template. Three sheets: the policy, each rule with what you do and where it comes from; the sign-off, who read it and when, with a refresher a year later; and illness reports, each report with the action and when the person was back on food. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
The policy says what people do. An inspector also asks what was made the day a sick packer was on the line, which batches those were, and where they went.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack doesn't track training or health reports. It keeps the batch records and sign-offs an inspector reads alongside the policy.
Batch records with sign-off. Printable batch-record forms carry your own checklist fields and a sign-off, so who made and checked a batch is on the record.
Batches by date and lot. Each batch has its date and lot, so the day someone worked while unwell leads to the batches made that day.
Recalls. One report shows every customer who got a lot.
| The job | Clipboard | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Who checked a batch | Initials on paper | A sign-off on the batch record |
| What was made on a given day | Searching the notebook | Batches by date |
| Who got those batches | Invoices | One recall report |
Batches, lots and recalls are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.