What happens if gloves, tongs, deli paper or other utensils are not available to prepare ready-to-eat foods?
If appropriate utensils are not available, ready-to-eat foods may not be prepared until bare hand contact with food can be prevented. If bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods is observed by health department inspectors, a violation will be recorded on the inspection report and enforcement action may be taken. Any ready-to-eat food that has been prepared with bare hands is considered to be contaminated and should be discarded. How often should disposable gloves be changed? Disposable gloves must be changed when they become contaminated, soiled or torn, or when the food service worker leaves the food preparation area. They should also be changed frequently to minimize build-up of perspiration and bacteria inside the glove. May I use the same pair of disposable gloves to prepare raw meat or poultry, and then prepare ready-to-eat food? No. This is called cross-contamination. Disposable gloves worn during preparation of raw foods, such as uncooked meat and poultry, must not be used to p
