Like most people with a busy schedule, I often stop at the deli for cold cuts. If you are not familiar with this term, it refers to prepared meats that are sliced for sandwiches, a quick and convenient lunch or dinner.
It made sense to me that instead of having the deli person touch my food with his/her bare hands, gloves would protect my food. I get very upset when I see the service person touch EVERYTHING including handles on cabinets & appliances, money, their face & hair, and not change their gloves. I have asked them to put on a new pair of gloves, which they should do with each new item they touch. They humor me but then have an attitude and touch everything with their clean gloves. A little passive-aggressive I think! As a note, the food handlers started wearing latex/vinyl gloves about 20 years ago, primarily to stop the spread of bacteria and food contamination.
From what I have observed, I get the impression that the workers use the gloves to protect their hands, not my food. This really irks me, so I did a little research for this article. My thoughts have definitely changed. First of all, the vinyl and latex gloves present a serious danger to the foods due to the chemicals in the glove material. Second, once the gloves are on, no one thinks to wash their hands before or after putting them on. Their hands sweat in the gloves creating a warm place for bacteria to grow.
Washing their hands constantly is more beneficial than using gloves, although that sign in the restrooms about employees washing their hands before they leave is often ignored by many. I know for a fact since my family had a restaurant for several years. Although it is mandatory to have a Food Handlers Card, many workers do not have good hygiene.
My thought is now to stick to my favorite food, the hard-boiled egg, which comes in its own package and not touched or handled by anyone else but me. I don’t even want to think about chocolate and peanut butter!!
