Gloves for Food Service - False Security?? (a minor rant..)

[DMT]

Is it just me, or do others find it discomforting to see the prolification of disposable gloves in the food service industry??

(okay, this isn't really directed towards fine dining or higher end establishments, but the trend seems to be growing...)

Basic (and properly adhered to procedures of) food handler's personal hygene pratices are good enough to prevent the spreading of germs, etc., but I see people disregarding common hand washing and sanitary procedures as they peel off a potentially soiled pair of gloves and slip into a fresh pair...

Maybe they have a false sense of security that by changing gloves they've discarded the contaminents, but have they really??

I've seen cooks touch various portions of their faces (noses, mouths, ears and hair), without maybe realizing that they have done so, simply because there is no tactile "trigger" to remind them to wash their hands.

Don't get me wrong, as I think there is a definite place for gloves (like really messy hands on prep work), but a line cook or such should have sufficient training in sanitary techniques and general food service hygene to not need to add another "barrier" between them and the food.

Besides, the heat used in cooking the food is generally adequate to nullify any surface contamination...

Or is it the insurance companies trying to "sterilize the world for greater profits"???

Okay, rant switch off of r the moment (reserving the right to reactivate as soon as I can get these d@mn gloves off...

[Salliem]

I actually prefer to see cooks using gloves, the only person who does not use gloves at the restaurant where I work is the grill man, but everyone else does. While I can understand your concern about the possibility of the lack of handwashing, wouldn't you rather that said person HAD gloves on if you were not too sure if they did not wash their hands?

[castironchef]

I completely agree with DMT.

I, too, have seen too many food handlers think that they're being sanitary, just because they're wearing gloves. Too little hand washing and too little changing of gloves.

When your hands feel "chickeny" you don't need anyone looking over your shoulder to remind you that you need to wash up before handling veggies or cooked items or even clean surfaces. When you can't feel anything on your gloves, it's purely a matter of iron discipline.

Without that discipline, gloves simply give the illusion of safety.

[DMT]

Salliem,
I suppose my main "discomfort" is watching cooks handle or touch items that would normally prompt a wash up (the conscientious ones, anyway), but instead they just keep cranking away...

For cold food stuffs (salads, cold sandwiches, deli platers, etc.) I can see the value of gloves, but too frequently I see the handling of raw chicken and/or fish, followed by uncooked beef, and then the occasional rubbing of the side of their nose without changing gloves or washing, and it just makes me feel uncomfortable...

There simply seems to be a reliance on artificial means of sanitation that are more likely to be overlooked as a source of food borne illnesses...

I could be wrong, but I *never* (that I was made aware of) made anybody sick while just following common or basic food handling hygene protocol...

Maybe I'm just old fashioned...

[Dirk Skene]

I think gloves give a faulse sense of secutity. You will clean you hands more often if you do not have gloves.

[foodpump]

The latex or vinyl on a pair of gloves can carry and transfer bacteria just as good as a pair of unwashed hands......

[eds77k5]

the health department requires gloves for handling ready to eat foods, hands still have to be washed and gloves changed, i believe they allow the use of tongs as long as bare hands arent touching the food, yes, big brother watching out for us

[Salliem]

I understand what you are saying..I wash my hands constantly and also change my gloves every time I touch something differant, I have expierenced unfortunatly the results of cross contamination...each cook at the restaurant where I work has a bucket of quat-sanitizer to clean after chicken, beef, fish..we all have safe food handler certificates..

[oldschool1982]

D,

Sure makes sense to me.

[even stephen]

All a certificate means is that you know better. Restaurants and
food service establishments have now passed medical facilities in
the use of latex gloves. I would rather see employees put gloves
on when they use the restroom than wear 20 pairs thoughout the
day in the kitchen. Restroom doorknobs, handles, and the floor bother
me more than the slight chance of cross contamination. Its not a
given that all chicken is contaminated. Good habits of washing hands,
knives, cutting boards, and equiptment, is to me the battle. I feel
its gotten out of hand. I personally rarely use gloves. Even when I
work with food that may cause odor on my hands. Ripping the gills
out of fish, cutting seafood, meat, chicken, onions, garlic, etc. Its
absolutely about touching the food for me. Gloves get caught or stick
to your knife when cutting, just can't work with gloves. Its become
more about the cook keeping his hands clean than cutting back on
cross contamination and contamination. What did we do before latex
gloves? Probably the same thing we did before cell phones!!!

[shel]

Originally Posted by even stephen

What did we do before latex
gloves? Probably the same thing we did before cell phones!!!

Carry a roll of dimes and keep an eye out for pay phones?

BTW, I pretty much agree with you on everything you said. When I visit the deli I frequent to get a sandwich, I ask the preparer to remove the gloves, which s/he's been wearing for who-knows-how-long. In some places - not this one - I've even seen the dirt on the gloves - an ugly brown-black color, strongly suggesting they've been used for quite some time. So much for health department regulations.

Shel

[panini]

We are required to use them and we cannot use latex.
I especially like when an employee correographs sp? a little number to flick them off and the end up hitting the bench or other surfaces turned inside out We don't have a problem with changing them since I have not been able to find a decent brand of non latex gloves that don't tear when you're putting the things on.
Next, body condoms

[shel]

Originally Posted by panini

We are required to use them and we cannot use latex.
I especially like when an employee correographs sp? a little number to flick them off and the end up hitting the bench or other surfaces turned inside out We don't have a problem with changing them since I have not been able to find a decent brand of non latex gloves that don't tear when you're putting the things on.
Next, body condoms

Have you looked at disposable nitrile gloves? Do a Google on "Nitrile Gloves" and see what you get. Mechanics use a version, and they are used by doctors for medical exams. I've used 'em a bit over the yeras and found them to be strong.

Shel

[sweet pea]

True story -

My husband and I are eating at the family owned local dive. We get a seat at the counter with a great shot of the kitchen area. Directly in front of us is the hot line where they keep the often used mashed potatoes, veggies ect that they use to plate up the meatloaf special or whatever the blue plate special is. We are right over the line - so close we can reach out our hand and grab a glump of potatoes. Absolutely no sneeze guard or barrier of any kind. After getting over that little horror, I start watching the cook on the grill station . . .

He is making chicken sndwiches, burgers and such. No gloves, no hand sink in a 40 mile radious. We watch him pull the raw chicken out of the cooler (by hand) and plop it on the grill, same with the burgers. Then he turns right around and wipes his hands on a towel and puts the LTO on a sandwich and plops it into the window. Then he uses tongs to flip the chicken, prepares a few more sandwiches, uses the chicken gutted towel to wipe off the counter space in front of him before he sets down the next bun to be topped. Of course, he continues to use that same towel to clean his hands, counter and God knows what else through lunch.

The question is: Are we safer eating the sandwiches, or the food off the hot bar that has been exposed to customers all day. Good Grief! The place is jammed all the time, but I wonder how many people go home and experience "flu like" symptoms each day. The towel thing has GOT TO GO!

Moral of the story: My husband happily scarfed down his burger - completely oblivious, and I couldn't eat a thing. All I could do is watch that dang towel to see where else it would touch. Of course, as we are getting up to pay, the cashier is busy, so the line cook steps up to the register to cash us out. UGGG

[Salliem]

I guess it is a matter of personal preference..not to mention that this is what our Chef wants as well.