Because cross contamination can occur in so many different ways, foodservice workers need special training to realize how to prevent it. For example, storing raw meat above produce in your walk-in cooler can allow meat drippings to contaminate the produce. Cross contamination can also occur during service, as a worker touches food with bare hands, or wipes a counter with an unsanitary cloth and then places food there. For example, a foodservice worker uses one pair of tongs to drop chicken legs into the fryer - and the same pair of tongs to remove the cooked legs. Bacteria from the raw chicken may contaminate the cooked product.
Gloves convey a dangerous sense of security.
Gloves, like utensils, can become contaminated. They are not always sanitary. Routine sanitizing is a must, and color-coded cutting boards are helpful, but bacteria from one food can still contaminate another through a cutting board. It's better to sanitize between uses, and when switching foods. All rights reserved.