Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v4 - JHS 2

Lesson Video

This page supports the lesson note with a companion video and a short classroom-ready summary.

For class groups and homework, share this lesson page so learners also get the summary, objectives, and full lesson context.

Performance objectives

• Identify key practices for food hygiene
• Demonstrate proper handwashing techniques
• List common foodborne illnesses and their causes
• Describe safe food storage methods

Lesson summary

This lesson focuses on food hygiene, which is the practice of handling, preparing, and storing food in a way that prevents it from becoming contaminated and causing illness. In Ghana, many of us enjoy delicious home-cooked meals and street foods like `waakye`, `kenkey`, and `kelewele`. However, if food is not handled properly, it can carry harmful germs that cause serious sicknesses like cholera, typhoid, and "running stomach" (diarrhoea). Learning and practising good food hygiene skills is not just for caterers; it is a vital life skill that protects our health, the health of our families, and builds trust if we ever decide to sell food as a business.

Lesson notes

A. What is Food Hygiene? Food hygiene, also known as food safety, refers to all the practices and conditions necessary to ensure that food is safe and suitable for human consumption. It involves everything we do to prevent food from being contaminated by harmful germs (bacteria, viruses), chemicals, or foreign objects. Contamination: This means something harmful or dirty has gotten into the food. Foodborne Illness: This is sickness caused by eating contaminated food. Symptoms often include stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea.

B. The Four Core Principles of Food Safety (The 4 Cs)

To make it easy to remember how to keep food safe, we can use the "4 Cs". CLEANING

This is the first and most important step. Germs are everywhere, so we must clean ourselves, our equipment, and our food. Personal Hygiene: Handwashing: This is critical. Wash your hands with soap and clean running water (a tap or a "Veronica Bucket" works perfectly) for at least 20 seconds. When to wash hands: Before touching food, after using the toilet, after coughing or sneezing, after touching raw meat/fish, and after touching bins. Appearance: Keep your hair tied back. Wear a clean apron or clean clothes. Keep your fingernails short and clean. Do not cough or sneeze over food. Cleaning Surfaces and Equipment: Use hot, soapy water to wash chopping boards, knives, `asanka` (earthenware bowl), pots, and plates. Clean your kitchen counters and tables before and after preparing food. Keep pests like flies, cockroaches, and mice away from the kitchen, as they carry germs. Washing Food: Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly under clean running water before you peel, cut, or eat them. For leafy vegetables like `kontomire` or lettuce, wash each leaf to remove soil and germs. Rinse raw meat, poultry, and fish under clean water before cooking. COOKING