02/09/2026
📱 CHEFS... WHERE’S YOUR PHONE BEEN?
Mobile phones go everywhere with us in our pockets, on worktops, on public transport, into staff areas and, yes, sometimes into the toilet.
Then we pick them up and touch them with our hands.
In a food business, that creates a potential cross-contamination risk. 🦠
Research has shown that mobile phones can become contaminated with a range of microorganisms. The important food-safety message isn't about frightening people with a list of bacteria it's about breaking the contamination chain.
👨🍳 If a chef or food handler uses their phone during a break, checks a message or takes a call, they should wash their hands thoroughly before returning to food preparation.
And simply wearing gloves doesn't solve the problem. If contaminated hands or gloves touch a phone and then touch ready-to-eat food, equipment or food-contact surfaces, contamination can still be transferred.
Our advice to food businesses:
📱 Keep personal phones away from food-preparation areas
🧼 Wash hands after using a phone and before handling food
🧤 Never treat gloves as a substitute for handwashing
🧽 Include shared work phones/tablets in your cleaning procedures
👥 Make your mobile-phone policy clear during staff training
It’s a small behaviour that can make a big difference to food hygiene.
Your phone may be essential to you but it doesn't belong in the food preparation process.
