POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
What You Need To Do
The basic rule to remember regarding
food safety is that if something will go inside your body
or
will touch something that goes inside your body it
should not come in contact with anything that is
unclean. This sounds like a very simple rule and
it really can and should be. Unfortunately this basic
rule of food safety is violated systematically
and repeatedly on many other cycling events because
either the staff and/or the participants are not
aware of what they need to do to stay safe.
Take a second to really consider what can be on
your hands and gloves after cycling twenty miles
or more. Here's some hints: dirt,
snot, sweat, bugs, blood, urine, feces, dog poop
and god knows what else. Don't forget - these
things will be on the hands of other participants
as well. YUCK!
Accordingly, we require you to remove your cycling
gloves and wipe your hands with the baby
wipes
we will provide at all food service locations before
you reach for any food or drink items. Ideally,
you should wash your hands with soap and water as
well. Doing these simple actions will significantly
decrease
the risk
of foodborne illness that can be transmitted from
your filthy hands, a known and proven source of food
borne illnesses
from the major cycling event described below.
Quick Food Safety Story: On another major
cycling event in 2003 there was a severe outbreak
of diarrhea
and the health department had to get involved to
determine the source of the contamination. They determined
that it was from the event ice supply because one
of the riders had decided it was OK for him to stick
his hands directly into the ice supply to take
ice for his water bottle after going to the bathroom
and not washing his hands. You get the idea.
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