MDM Scheme Guidelines: Personal Hygiene, Cleanliness, Health Checkups

MDM Scheme Personal Hygiene, MDM, Personal Hygiene, Cleanliness and Health Checkups: Cooks and helpers should maintain a high degree of personal hygiene and cleanliness. The person suffering from infectious disease should not be permitted to work. Biannual health checks up should be undertaken to ensure fitness for the job of CCH.

Cooks/helpers should report immediately to their supervisors, if they are suffering from any disease likely to be transmitted via food, e.g. diarrhoea or vomiting, infected wounds like, skin infections, jaundice or sores.

All food handlers should remain clean, wear washed clothes and keep their finger nails trimmed, clean and wash their hands with soap/ detergent and water before commencing work and every time after touching, raw or contaminated food or using toilet.

All Cook cum helpers should avoid wearing loose items that might fall into food and also avoid touching or scratching their face, head or hair.

It should be ensured that all CCHs are instructed and trained in food hygiene and food safety aspects along with personal hygiene requirements commensurate with their work activities, the nature of food, its handling, preparation, service and distribution. Training programmes should be regularly reviewed and updated wherever necessary.

Nail polish or artificial nails should not be worn because they can become foreign bodies and may compromise on food safety. No watches, rings, jewellery and bangles should be worn during cooking, serving and distribution where there is a danger of contamination of product.

Chewing, smoking, spitting and nose blowing should be prohibited within the premises especially while handling food.

The CCHs should have adequate and suitable clean protective clothing, head covering hair should be tied up neatly and ensured that the CCHs at work wear only clean protective clothes and head covering essentially during MDM operation.

The CCHs should wash their hands at least each time work is resumed and whenever contamination of their hands has occurred; e.g. after coughing / sneezing, visiting toilet, using telephone, smoking etc; avoid certain hand habits.

e.g. scratching nose, running finger through hair, rubbing eyes, ears and mouth, scratching beard, scratching parts of bodies etc.- that are potentially hazardous when associated with handling food products, and might lead to food contamination through the transfer of bacteria from the employee to product during its preparation. When unavoidable, hands should be effectively washed before resuming work after such actions. MDM Scheme Personal Hygiene

Pest Control

Cleanliness is essential for effective control of all pests (mainly rodents, birds, and insects). Wire mesh screens, for example on open windows, doors and ventilators, Page 12 of 15 will reduce the problem of pest entry.

Generally no pesticides/insecticides should be encouraged or used in cooking area. However if unavoidable, care must be taken to protect people, food, equipment and utensils from contamination before these are applied. Pesticides should always be kept in its original containers, clearly marked and be stored in a locked storage separate from cooking ingredients storage areas. Records of pesticides / insecticides used along with dates and frequency should be maintained.

Kitchen and the store area should be kept clean and tidy to prevent pest access and to eliminate potential breeding sites. Holes, drain covers and other places where pests are likely to gain access should be kept in sealed condition or fitted with mesh / grills / claddings or any other suitable means as required and animals, birds and pets should not be allowed to enter into the food storage and cooking area. The school maintenance grant made available under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan may be used for this purpose.

Adequate arrangements including installation of fire extinguishers should be made to deal with incidents of accidental fire in the kitchen area of the school.

Hand Washing for Children

There should be a dedicated time within the daily time table that will allow enough time for all children, cooks and teachers in the school to wash their hands with soap. The hand washing of the children should be supervised and monitored vigorously .

Hand wash with soap before and after eating should be vigoursly promoted. The schools may define an area for hand washing where very simple scalable and cost effective multiple hand washing facilities can be installed to be used by large groups of children at a time.

Empty plastic bottles can be filled with liquid soap and diluted with water. 20-30 plastic bottles filled with diluted hand wash liquid can be used for approximately 200 children for hand washing.

Wherever proper hand washing facilities are either not available or inadequate for all children, buckets and mugs can be used to supplement the available facilities.

Guidelines on Testing of MDM and Cleaning of Cooking Areas, MDM Scheme, Guidelines on Cleaning of Cooking Areas, Utensils

A. Tasting of the mid-day meals by teacher

The tasting of the food by a teacher just before serving is mandatory. The teacher is to maintain a record of tasting in a register. SMC member should also taste the food on a rotation basis along with the teachers before it is distributed to the children.

B. Testing of mid-day meal

The States/UTs must consider engaging CSIR Institutes / NABL accredited laboratories and FSSAI accredited laboratories for undertaking testing of samples of MDM for food safety and contamination (microbial and chemical). Guidelines on Testing of MDM and Cleaning of Cooking Areas

C. Cleaning of cooking areas

1. The floors of kitchen and the slabs should be cleaned every day before and after the food is cooked. Special attention should be paid to the cleaning of obstructed sites including cooking areas and at the junction of floors and walls.
2. The cooking areas must be kept cleaned at all times. It is important that surfaces in direct contact with food must be both clean and dry before use. Cracks, rough surfaces, open joints etc. must be repaired as soon as possible.

D. Cleaning of utensils, equipments and other materials

1. Cleaning accessories such as cloths, mops and brushes carry a very high risk of cross contamination. They must therefore be thoroughly washed, cleaned and dried after use. Cleaning accessories used in the cooking area/packing area should not be used in other parts of the kitchen. Sun drying of the cleaning accessories in a clean and tidy place should be done.
2. Tables, benches and boxes, cupboards, glass cases, etc. shall be clean and tidy. Cooking utensils and crockery should be clean and in good condition. These should not be broken/ chipped.
3. Utensils should be cleaned of debris, rinsed, scrubbed with detergent and washed under running tap water after every operation. Wiping of utensils should be done with clean cloth. Clean cloths should be used for wiping hands and for clearing surfaces.
4. Cloth used for floor cleaning should not be used for cleaning surfaces of tables and working areas and for wiping utensils. Dust or crumb from plates or utensils should be removed into dustbin by using cloth or wiper.
5. Assessories and containers that come in contact with food and used for food handling, storage, preparation and serving should be made of corrosion free materials which do not impart any toxicity to the food material and should be easy to clean and /or disinfect.
6.  Equipment and utensils used in the preparation of food should be kept at all times in good order and repair and in a clean and sanitary condition. Such utensil or container should not be used for any other purpose.
7. Every utensil or container containing any food or ingredient of food should at all times be either provided with a properly fitted cover/lid or with a clean gauze net or other material of texture sufficiently fine to protect the food completely from dust, dirt and flies and other insects.

A. Tasting of the mid-day meals by teacher

The tasting of the food by a teacher just before serving is mandatory. The teacher is to maintain a record of tasting in a register. SMC member should also taste the food on a rotation basis along with the teachers before it is distributed to the children.

B. Testing of mid-day meal

The States/UTs must consider engaging CSIR Institutes / NABL accredited laboratories and FSSAI accredited laboratories for undertaking testing of samples of MDM for food safety and contamination (microbial and chemical).

C. Cleaning of cooking areas

1. The floors of kitchen and the slabs should be cleaned every day before and after the food is cooked. Special attention should be paid to the cleaning of obstructed sites including cooking areas and at the junction of floors and walls.
2. The cooking areas must be kept cleaned at all times. It is important that surfaces in direct contact with food must be both clean and dry before use. Cracks, rough surfaces, open joints etc. must be repaired as soon as possible.
   D. Cleaning of utensils, equipments and other materials
3. Cleaning accessories such as cloths, mops and brushes carry a very high risk of cross contamination. They must therefore be thoroughly washed, cleaned and dried after use. Cleaning accessories used in the cooking area/packing area should not be used in other parts of the kitchen. Sun drying of the cleaning accessories in a clean and tidy place should be done.
4. Tables, benches and boxes, cupboards, glass cases, etc. shall be clean and tidy. Cooking utensils and crockery should be clean and in good condition. These should not be broken/ chipped.
5. Utensils should be cleaned of debris, rinsed, scrubbed with detergent and washed under running tap water after every operation. Wiping of utensils should be done with clean cloth. Clean cloths should be used for wiping hands and for clearing surfaces.
6. Cloth used for floor cleaning should not be used for cleaning surfaces of tables and working areas and for wiping utensils. Dust or crumb from plates or utensils should be removed into dustbin by using cloth or wiper.
7. Assessories and containers that come in contact with food and used for food handling, storage, preparation and serving should be made of corrosion free materials which do not impart any toxicity to the food material and should be easy to clean and /or disinfect.
8.  Equipment and utensils used in the preparation of food should be kept at all times in good order and repair and in a clean and sanitary condition. Such utensil or container should not be used for any other purpose.
9. Every utensil or container containing any food or ingredient of food should at all times be either provided with a properly fitted cover/lid or with a clean gauze net or other material of texture sufficiently fine to protect the food completely from dust, dirt and flies and other insects.

Infrastructural Requirements

Infrastructural Requirements for Food Safety and Hygiene, MDM Scheme Guidelines for Safety and hygiene of Kitchen-cum-Store

1. The Kitchen cum Store should be located in a clean and open place and free from filthy surroundings and should maintain overall hygienic environment.
2. The premises should be clean, adequately lighted and ventilated and have sufficient free space for movement.
3. Floors, ceilings and walls must be maintained in a sound condition. They should be smooth and easy to clean with no flaking paint or plaster.
4. The floor and skirted walls should be washed as per requirement with an effective disinfectant. The premises should be kept free from all insects. No spraying should be done during the cooking of Mid Day Meal, but instead fly swats/ flaps should be used to kill flies getting into the premises. Windows, doors and other openings should be fitted with net or screen, as appropriate to make the premise insect free. The water used in the cooking shall be potable.
5. Continuous supply of potable water should be ensured in the premises. In case of intermittent water supply, adequate storage arrangement for water used in food or washing should be made.
6. Arrangements for cleaning of containers, tables, working parts of machinery, etc. should be provided.
7. All utensils should be kept clean, washed, dried and stored at the Kitchen cum store to ensure freedom from growth of mold/ fungi and infestation.
8. All utensils should be placed well away from the walls to allow proper inspection.
9. There should be efficient drainage system and there should be adequate provisions for disposal of refuse.
10. Potential sources of contamination like rubbish, waste water, toilet facilities, open drains and stray animals should be kept away from kitchen.
11. Kitchen should be separate from classrooms, preferably located at a safe, but accessible distance. The current norm for a kitchen shed is 20 sq.m of floor space for every 100 children enrolled and thereafter 4 sq. m for every additional 100 children.
12. As far as possible, the layout of the Mid day Meal kitchen should be such that food preparation/processes are not amenable to cross-contamination from washing vegetables/cereals/Pulses/ etc). Floors, ceilings and walls must be maintained in a sound condition to minimize the accumulation of dirt, condensation and growth of undesirable molds.
13. Floors should be sloped appropriately to facilitate drainage and the drainage should flow in a direction opposite to the direction of food preparation. Adequate control measures should be in place to prevent insects and rodents from entering the processing area from drains. Windows, doors & all other openings to outside Page 14 of 15 environment should preferably be covered with wire-mesh or insect proof screen as applicable to protect the premise from flies and other insects / pests / animals.
14. Ventilation systems natural and /or mechanical including air filters, exhaust fans, wherever required, should be designed and constructed so that air does not flow from contaminated areas to clean areas.
15. A display board mentioning do’s & don’ts for the CCHs should be put up inside at a prominent place in the premise in local language for everyone’s understanding.
16. Properly constructed chimneys are required in the kitchens. Chimneys should not be the entry point of insects; reptile’s etc. Fuel (kerosene/fuel wood/ charcoal/LPG) should be stored/installed safely, so that there is no fire hazard. Smokeless chulhas should be used to the extent possible. The Kitchen should have full visibility with sunlight or artificial light.
17. If kerosene/gas is used for cooking, the CCHs should be specifically trained in safe handling of stoves, gas cylinders, etc. Raised platform for cooking, adequate light, proper ventilation and arrangement for drainage and waste disposal. The dustbin
    should have a lid and should be always covered.
18. The Right to free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009 provide the legal framework for the quality education in India and mandates minimum norms and standards for infrastructure in schools including kitchen cum store .

Water supply: Continuous supply of potable water should be ensured in the premises. In case of intermittent water supply, adequate storage arrangement for water used in food or washing should be made. Water used for cleaning, washing and preparing food should be potable in nature. Infrastructural Requirements for Food Safety and Hygiene

Water storage tanks, if available, should be cleaned periodically and records of the same should be maintained. Non potable water can be used provided it is intended only for cleaning of equipment not coming in contact with food.

Non potable water pipes should be clearly distinguished from those in use for potable water.

Testing of Water: In the kitchens of Mid-day Meal bore water/tap water/hand-pump water is being used (in general) for cooking, drinking and washing. Water needs to be tested for chemical as well as microbiological contamination. The testing of water can be done in Page 15 of 15 convergence with the concerned water supply/Public Health Engineering departments of the States/UTs.

Drainage and Waste Disposal: Adequate drainage, waste disposal systems and facilities should be provided and they should be designed and constructed in such manner so that the risk of contaminating food or the potable water supply is eliminated.

Waste storage should be located in such manner that it does not contaminate the food process, storage areas, the environment inside and outside the kitchen and waste should be kept in covered containers and removed at regular intervals. Periodic disposal of the refuse/ waste should be made compulsory.

Waste material generated during the cooking of food should be kept in a separate container of adequate size with a proper cover preferably one which need not be touched to open should be provided in the premises for collection of food waste material. This should be emptied and washed and dried daily before next use. Infrastructural Requirements for Food Safety and Hygiene

Food serving area: If the meals are served in a dining room, or school veranda/class room or a hall in the schools, this should be spacious enough, well ventilated and with windows having wire mesh. The room should be cleaned every day before the school starts functioning