English: This historic sign was created by the Minnesota Department of Health in the 1930s admonishing food service workers to wash their hands frequently. It was part of a campaign to reduce food-borne illnesses.

This was one of a series of instructional images used by the Minnesota Board of Health used to train the state’s public health workers. The purpose of these images and the appropriate training was focused on protecting food supplies from bacterial contamination.

Many people do not think about food safety until a food-related illness affects them or a family member. While the food supply in the United States in 2005 was deemed to be one of the safest in the world, CDC estimates that 76 million people get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 Americans die each year from food-borne illness. Preventing food-borne illness and death remains a major public health challenge.