What is one possible symptom indicating a person should not work with food?

Diarrhea is a significant symptom indicating that a person should not work with food because it can be a sign of foodborne illness. When someone experiences diarrhea, they may be shedding harmful pathogens in their stool that can contaminate food or food preparation surfaces. This poses a serious risk of spreading illness to others, particularly in a food handling environment. Food safety protocols emphasize the importance of excluding food workers with gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea to maintain public health and prevent outbreaks of foodborne diseases.

While headaches, fever, and a runny nose can also indicate illness, they are not as specifically associated with foodborne pathogens as diarrhea is. This makes diarrhea a clearer and more immediate reason for a food worker to refrain from handling food until fully recovered.