Contamination of food by the hands of food handlers is an important cause of foodborne illness outbreaks. For this reason, many food establishment operators have encouraged kitchen staff to wear gloves while handling food. The use of utensils (such as tongs) can also be used to mi
nimize bare hand contact of food.
Avoid the use of latex gloves in food establishments. Food handlers may develop latex allergies through prolonged use of latex gloves (approximately 10% of the population is thought to be susceptible to such allergies).
The following materials are suitable alternatives to latex:
- polyvinyl
- nitrile
- chloroprene
- Polyethylene