Final answer:
Food-handlers should scrub their hands for at least 20 seconds, paying attention to areas often missed such as wrists, between fingers, and under nails. This recommended practice by the CDC is vital to prevent the spread of foodborne diseases.
Step-by-step explanation:
Food-handlers should scrub their hands for a minimum of 20 seconds to ensure proper hygiene and to prevent the spread of foodborne diseases. This time frame is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is considered a critical practice in both domestic and professional food preparation environments. To help keep track of time, individuals can hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice, which approximately takes 20 seconds. Not only is scrubbing the hands important, but attention should be paid to the wrists, areas between the fingers, thumbs, and under the fingernails. These are places where microbes are likely to be missed during a quick rinse.
Ensuring that hands are thoroughly clean before beginning any food preparation and after certain activities like using the toilet or handling raw meat is crucial. Proper handwashing can remove many pathogens and is considered a key step in avoiding the transmission of illnesses.