By Carla Landi
We have tools, equipment, thermometers, and advanced technology to maximize food safety by controlling temperatures when cooking, refrigerating, and holding food. There are color-coded cutting boards, utensils and more to control cross-contamination. But, how do we control contamination that can happen when food is handled while it’s prepped and before it’s served to your guests?
The first line of defense: clean hands. Hand washing is vital in preventing contamination of food by food handlers. Harmful bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus and viruses (e.g. norovirus) present on the hands of foodservice professionals are removed by proper hand washing techniques.
FoodHandler put together this video showing proper handwashing...
Now your hands are clean, which gloves should you wear?
Here is a guide from FoodHandler showing glove types for specific tasks:
POLY
Type: Low-cost, loose-fitting gloves for light tasks that require changing gloves often.
Task: Regular Poly - Making sandwiches, bagging bagels, plate garnishing, pizza or taco preparation, silverware wrapping, filling ice buckets, food sampling, display case set-up or breakdown.
VINYL
Type: More durable, closer-fitting gloves for food processing and medium-duty food tasks requiring good dexterity and/or sensitivity; latex-free and appropriate for use near heat source.
Task: Regular Vinyl - Handling sliced cheese, grill line plating area, breakfast grill, cracking eggs, fresh squeezed juice prep, prep of cream-filled pies, pizzas, salads, tacos, ready-to-eat meats such as ham and tuna.
Task: Blue Vinyl - Seafood prep, sushi prep, peeling or dispensing shrimp, raw meat cutting, trimming produce, handling bone-in hams or smoked chops, meat grinder area, vacuum packaging area. Blue Vinyl gloves (color-coded to avoid cross-contamination, especially when handling raw meats and seafood). Avoid cross-contamination by changing gloves after handling raw meats, poultry and seafood.
SYNTHETIC
Type: Formfitting gloves for tasks requiring flexibility and dexterity. Use for delicate work requiring fingertip sensitivity. Feels and acts like latex. Ideal for latex sensitive workers.
Task: Handling, slicing, prep, mixture of ready-to-eat foods, slicer area of cheese, grill line plating area, breakfast grill, cracking eggs, cake decorating, dough handling, plate garnishing, preparation of appetizer or veggie platters, vacuum packaging area.
LATEX
Type: Ultra-formfitting gloves for tasks requiring ultimate dexterity. Use for delicate work requiring fingertip sensitivity.
Task: Handling, slicing, prep, mixture of ready-to-eat foods, cheese slicing area, grill line plating area, breakfast grill, cracking eggs, cake decorating, dough handling, plate garnishing, preparation of appetizer or veggie platters, vacuum packaging area. In case of a latex allergy consult a physician and use vinyl, nitrile, synthetic or poly gloves when handling ready-to-eat foods.
NITRILE
Type: Synthetic disposable gloves for specific tasks requiring good puncture resistance and a high level of dexterity.
Task: Intricate garnishing, handling delicate foods, sushi preparation, de-boning meats, handling hot peppers or shellfish. Use in meat preparation area as this material is very resistant to breaking down when in contact with animal fats. Nitrile is a synthetic material resistant to snags, abrasions or tears.
Remember: Glove use in itself does not guarantee food safety. Always wash hands before and after using disposable gloves.
FoodHandler provides a complete line of products that make it easier to prevent contamination when handling food. They also share their expertise and knowledge on the subject through training webinars, videos, and more.
