Welcome to “my world”. In the wholesaly food industry everyone who touches any product is wearing plastic gloves. Every frozen pizza that you see can make the claim “untouched by human hands”. You are trying to make sense out of a decree issued by your city, county, and state health departments. As you have noticed, it is a VERY rare occasion when a state official will over rule a local health official. The plastic glove is coming to a health department near to you too and probably sooner than later, and trust me, there isn’t much that you can do about it. Fight it if venting makes you feel better, but I’m betting that you won’t being about any change in their attitude. I once tried (in vain) to fight an inspector who made us refrigerate “creme” filled donuts. The donut wasn’t perishable, the “creme” filling was an RTU product, non-refrigerated, there was no dairy product in the “creme” filling what so ever. If it had contained dairy or eggs it would be spelled “cream” filling, and then it would need to be refrigerated, but that was not the case. Even went to the state, and they sided with the local official…we started selling our creme filled bismarks from a new refrigerated display case. Go figure!
When you go with plastic gloves, be sure to have your people trained in their use. Sounds silly, but it is important. The gloves are to protect your customer from YOU, not your employees from the food. They are singly use only, if you put on the gloves, then handle food not a problem, but as soon as you pick up a box and open it, you need to put on a fresh pair of gloves. Making pizza with the gloves on, anster the phone, new gloves again, handle money, yep, new gloves. The purpose of the gloves is to just make it easier to clean your hands. Un-gloved hands are difficult to clean properly, but a gloved hand is pretty easy to clean, so you can wash your hands when wearing gloves, not a problem. The biggest benefit is that it will help to instill consumer confidence in the safety of your food, and it will keep you on the friendly side of your local health department, cross them and they can make life, shall we say “difficult” for you.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
When you go with plastic gloves, be sure to have your people trained in their use. Sounds silly, but it is important. The gloves are to protect your customer from YOU, not your employees from the food. They are singly use only, if you put on the gloves, then handle food not a problem, but as soon as you pick up a box and open it, you need to put on a fresh pair of gloves. Making pizza with the gloves on, anster the phone, new gloves again, handle money, yep, new gloves. The purpose of the gloves is to just make it easier to clean your hands. Un-gloved hands are difficult to clean properly, but a gloved hand is pretty easy to clean, so you can wash your hands when wearing gloves, not a problem. The biggest benefit is that it will help to instill consumer confidence in the safety of your food, and it will keep you on the friendly side of your local health department, cross them and they can make life, shall we say “difficult” for you.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
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