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Focus on clean water and food safety

Updated Generic C-IYCF Counselling Package, 2024 (UNICEF | 2024)
Focus on clean water and food safety

Key Messages

  • Good hygiene (cleanliness), food safety and clean drinking water are important to avoid diarrhoea and other illnesses.
  • Wash your hands with soap and clean running water before preparing foods and before feeding your baby.
  • Feed your baby using clean hands, clean utensils and clean cups.
  • Bottles, teats, and spouted cups are unsafe to use because they are very difficult to wash and can easily contaminate any food or liquids that you put inside of them.
  • Always store the foods given to your baby and other family members in a safe, clean place. Follow these basic rules of food safety:
    • Make sure your work surface, cutting boards, and all bowls, pots, and spoons are cleaned with soap and clean running water.
    • Prepare foods using clean knives and other utensils.
    • Use boiled water or treated water for washing raw fruits and vegetables before cutting and eating them.
    • Wash raw eggs just before cracking them open if they have dirt or animal faeces on them.
    • Keep animal products such as meat and fish away from other foods before cooking to avoid contamination.
    • Cook meat, fish and eggs until they are well done.
    • Serve food immediately after preparation.
  • Thoroughly reheat any food that has been kept for more than 2-to-4 hours.
  • If you are not going to serve the food that you prepare for your baby and other family members right away, put it inside of a cupboard or cover it with a clean cloth.
  • Give your family safe drinking water. Drinking water needs to be boiled, treated or filtered so that it is clean and safe and does not cause diarrhoea. To ensure that water is safe enough to drink, you need to do one of the following steps:  
    • Boil it for one minute, until large bubbles appear, then remove it from heat and keep it covered as it cools.
    • Use a commercial disinfectant to treat water for drinking and carefully follow the dilution instructions on the product container.
    • Use a water filter system.
    • Access a well or spring that has been tested for chemicals or other contaminants.
  • Store your drinking water in a clean, covered container.

Included Images
Sanitation - Water disinfectant - 01 - CIYCF23
Sanitation - Wait 30 seconds - 06 - CIYCF23
Sanitation - Shaking water container - 05 - CIYCF23
Sanitation - Closing cap on water container - 04 - CIYCF23
Sanitation - Adding disinfectant to jerry can of water - 03 - CIYCF23
Sanitation - Boy drinking treated water - 08 - CIYCF23
Sanitation - Pouring disinfected water from jerry can - 07 - CIYCF23
Sanitation - Pouring capful of water disinfectant - 02 - CIYCF23
Objects - Cupboard with infant formula - 03 - CIYCF23
Hygiene - Cupboard stocked with food - 04 - CIYCF23
Hygiene - Dishes drying - 01 - CIYCF23
Hygiene - Keep a clean area for food preparation - 01 - CIYCF23
Hygiene - Mother boiling water - 03 - CIYCF23