How long must food workers with vomiting or diarrhea symptoms stay home?

Food workers who experience symptoms of vomiting or diarrhea must remain at home for a minimum of 24 hours after their symptoms have resolved. This guideline is crucial for preventing the spread of foodborne illnesses, ensuring that employees are no longer contagious before returning to work. Allowing a full day without symptoms helps protect both customers and other staff members from potential infection.

The other options suggest longer recovery periods which are not typically necessary for most foodborne illnesses, and extended time away could disrupt operations while not providing additional safety benefit. The 24-hour rule is widely recognized in food safety practice as a standard procedure for managing symptomatic workers effectively.