What’s the point of food-safe gloves? You’re still touching everything. I don’t get it
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In theory, you change your gloves when you touch something gross, or every so often. And in practice, sometimes that even happens!
In reality, the truth is that gloves aren’t THAT useful most of the time.
– They are useful when the worker is sick, because they prevent any bacteria on the skin from transferring to the food or utensils, but A) so does washing your hands often, and B) if you are sick you shouldn’t be handling food for others to begin with.
– They are useful when the employee is injured, for the same reason as the above. Here they have actual use, because no amount of handwashing makes you want a bandage – or worse, what’s underneath it – to make contact with your food.
– They can protect workers’ hands from food. If you are handling acidic foods like pickles in juice, accidentally getting pickle juice on your hand every now and then can irritate your skin.
The big problem with gloves, however, is that they can create the *illusion* of safety. A worker who isn’t changing gloves often enough is creating a *more* dangerous situation than one who doesn’t wear gloves at all but frequently washes their hands. It looks safer to the customers, but it’s food safety theater. Does that mean you shouldn’t wear gloves when preparing food commercially? Of course not – your boss will fire you if you don’t – but do so responsibly.
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