Who are food handlers?

• A. People who wash dishes in the kitchen
• B. People who manage inventory
• C. Includes people who prepare food, servers, dishwashers, and anyone who work with the surfaces of or touching the food
• D. People who only supervise the kitchen staff

Answer: (C)

In food safety, a food handler is anyone who handles food or touches surfaces that come into contact with food. That broad idea fits cooks, servers, dishwashers, and really anyone who works with or around the food and its contact surfaces. The reason this is the best choice is that contamination can be introduced at any point by someone who handles the food or the surfaces it sits on, so the definition must include all those roles, not just a subset. Focusing only on dishwashers misses those who prepare or serve food, and simply supervising or managing staff doesn’t necessarily involve direct contact with food. So the most complete answer is the one that spans all these roles.