Food Service Gloves: Use Them Properly
If you are familiar with the Pulitzer-winning novel, The Confederacy of Dunces, you will no doubt have indelible memories of Ignatius J. Reilly, the New Orleans hot dog vendor and self-appointed social critic. Given to sucking the jelly from the center of donuts and being the sole consumer of his cart’s hot dogs, Ignatius is hardly the type to give any consideration to food safety practices.
Much has changed since that scene was written. Ignatius’ tale took place in the days long before Hurricane Katrina. But the landscape of New Orleans’ hot dog cart vendors has changed not only in the upheaval of the streets they once served but also in service supplies frequently found on board their carts and those around the country: Thin, clear plastic gloves worn while assembling classic hot dogs.
In the early 90’s, these clear high density polyethylene (HDPE) gloves started becoming a prominent wardrobe feature in fast food restaurants where workers assembled prepared foods. Epidemics of infectious diseases such as Hepatitis A were reported in the media as being traced back to poor hand hygiene in a number of food establishments. The appearance of food service gloves was a visible sign to the public that necessary hygiene precautions were being taken.
In some ways, today’s ubiquitous wearing of these gloves gives the consumer a false sense of security. Polyethylene food service gloves are no replacement for proper hand hygiene. Their effectiveness is only as good as the worker’s underlying hand hygiene. However, if properly used, the gloves add a dimension cleanliness and reassurance for clients.
So what is the proper use of gloves in food preparation? There is no substitute for good hand scrubbing. Workers’ hands must be thoroughly washed before donning gloves. Gloved hands should not cross contaminate by switching from working with raw foods to cooked foods without a glove change. Gloves should not come in contact with hair, skin or clothing. Gloves should be changed every 4 hours in the rare case that a food worker stays continuously on one job at one prep station.
The FDA Food Code addresses the proper use of food service gloves and serves as a set of guidelines to be followed in state, county and municipal food safety law-making. But actual laws vary from state to state, with as of yet no absolute uniformity applying to glove regulations. Regardless of this inconsistency, smart food business owners realize that their customers are discerning and know enough to be watching for evidence of cleanliness. They know that food service gloves add to clients’ peace of mind and are good for business.
Ms. Long resides in Summerville, SC where she regularly uses gloves. Director of Web Support for an online discount retailer of Disposable Gloves, she manages an information center to assist those struggling with mandatory glove use, Food Prep Gloves
