Common Misunderstandings
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Q.
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Shouldn't all the restaurant employees in the kitchen be wearing gloves?
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A.
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Not necessarily. While the Kansas Food Code (3-301.11) prohibits bare
hand contact with ready-to-eat foods, the food service workers
may use deli tissues, spatulas, tongs, forks, ladles or single-use
gloves in order to comply. Glove use around moving equipment and
hot grills could be very dangerous for the workers. Ready-to-eat
foods are foods that are going directly to the customer and do not
receive further cooking or heat step that would kill the germs
that might be on a food.
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Q.
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Are gloves worn in place of handwashing?
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A.
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No. Gloves do not replace handwashing and must be changed when job duties
change. If changing jobs, such as taking out the garbage, gloves
should be removed and hands washed and new gloves put on when going back
to handle ready-to-eat food.
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Q.
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Can handling money and handling food without washing hands first
cause food-borne illness?
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A.
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The kinds of germs that grow in and on food cannot live on money.
Money does not provide the environment necessary for germs to live and
grow. Germs need the same thing people do to live and grow: food to eat,
moisture to drink, warm temperatures and time. While people may
find it unappetizing to see workers handle money, then food, there have
been no foodborne illnesses found to be associated with this practice.
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Q.
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It's disgusting to find hair in my food. Shouldn't food workers have
their hair in nets so that never happens?
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A. |
It may be disgusting to find hair in your food, but it will not make you
sick. Food workers must have their hair restrained from hanging in
their face, and many wear company issued caps, but nets are not
required.
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Q. |
This restaurant is not spotless. Therefore, the food must not be safe to
eat.
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A.
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Rather than cleanliness, food safety practices should be evaluated to determine
whether food is safe. Hot foods must be hot, cold foods must be
cold. Food workers must wash their hands and make sure utensils
are cleaned between raw and ready-to-eat food preparation.
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