Hepatitis A Prevention Guide for Sacramento Food Service

Employee Health Screening & Illness Policies

Sacramento health department regulations require food handlers with confirmed Hepatitis A to be excluded from work until 1 week after jaundice onset, per CDC guidance. Implement mandatory symptom reporting: any employee with diarrhea, jaundice, or abdominal pain must notify management immediately. Conduct pre-employment health screenings and maintain confidential health records. Train staff to recognize early symptoms—fever, fatigue, dark urine—and understand that asymptomatic carriers can still transmit the virus. Document all illness reports and follow Sacramento's Environmental Health Division reporting requirements if a confirmed case occurs.

Handwashing & Sanitation Protocols

Hepatitis A survives on surfaces and spreads through fecal-oral transmission, making rigorous handwashing non-negotiable. California Food Code requires handwashing after restroom use, before handling ready-to-eat foods, and after touching bare skin or contaminated surfaces. Install warm water, soap, and paper towels in all handwashing stations; sanitizer alone is insufficient against Hepatitis A. Clean and sanitize all food contact surfaces, cutting boards, and utensils using 200 ppm chlorine or equivalent sanitizers approved by Sacramento Environmental Health. Focus on high-touch areas: door handles, cash registers, and ordering stations. Train staff that Hepatitis A requires aggressive sanitation protocols beyond standard cleaning.

Temperature Control & Food Handling Best Practices

While cooking temperatures kill most pathogens, Hepatitis A requires prevention at the source through proper employee health measures. Ready-to-eat foods (salads, sandwiches, uncooked produce) pose the highest risk if handled by infected workers. Store produce below 41°F when required and implement separate cutting boards for raw produce. Sacramento's Environmental Health Division recommends documented temperature logs for all potentially hazardous foods. Source shellfish from FDA-approved suppliers only, as raw mollusks are high-risk vectors. Establish a traceability system to quickly identify contaminated products if an outbreak occurs, enabling rapid customer notification and health department coordination.

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