Shigella Prevention Guide for Jacksonville Food Service

Employee Health Screening & Exclusion Policies

Florida Department of Health in Duval County requires food handlers to report gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, or jaundice before reporting to work. Shigella transmits primarily through fecal-oral contact, making symptomatic employee exclusion your first defense. Implement mandatory health attestations daily, restrict employees with acute diarrhea from food handling for at least 24 hours after symptom resolution, and maintain health screening documentation. Train managers to recognize Shigella risk factors: employees with recent travel to endemic regions, household contacts with confirmed Shigella infection, or unexplained gastrointestinal illness.

Sanitation Protocols & Hand Hygiene Standards

FDA Food Code mandates handwashing every time employees transition from food prep, restroom use, or handling raw products. Install handwashing stations with hot/cold running water, soap, and paper towels in all food prep areas and employee restrooms—Jacksonville inspectors verify compliance at every inspection cycle. Use quaternary ammonium or bleach-based sanitizers (200 ppm for bleach solutions) on all food contact surfaces after handwashing, and implement a documented cleaning log reviewed daily. Shigella survives on surfaces for hours; sanitize high-touch zones (door handles, register keypads, prep tables) every 2 hours during service. Enforce no cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat foods.

Temperature Control & Safe Food Handling for Shigella Prevention

While Shigella is primarily a sanitation hazard, proper cooking temperatures eliminate viable pathogens: cook all protein to internal safe temperatures (165°F for poultry, 145°F for ground meat) verified with calibrated thermometers. Hold hot foods above 135°F and cold foods below 41°F; Shigella can proliferate in the danger zone (41–135°F) within 2 hours. Jacksonville's Food Protection Division requires daily time-temperature logs and thermometer calibration records. For ready-to-eat foods, source from approved suppliers, minimize handling, and maintain separate cutting boards and utensils from raw foods. Train staff on the critical control points outlined in your facility's HACCP plan, with particular focus on preventing cross-contamination.

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