Is the FDA Food Code approach to “Preventing Contamination from Hands” sufficient to prevent foodborne illness outbreaks in the food industry?
Every year, 1 in 6 Americans gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne illness, that is, diseases transmitted to people through food (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014). The estimated associated medical cost with this type of illness is of approximately $15.6 billion annually (CDC). This figure is certain to increase if food industry specific costs resulted from loss of consumer confidence in a brand or a business, associated recall expenses, lawsuits, etc. are added. Though they are common and costly, they are also preventable.
In food operations, cross contamination …show more content…
But the questions that bear asking are: if these guidelines are adequate, why Norovirus is still a leading cause of foodborne illness? Do gloves really contribute to food safety? Is it better to wear them or not? One of the aspects of this discussion relies on the fact that the Food Code – and its derived state and local regulations- lacks enough emphasis on improper glove use that leads to a much higher risk of contamination than bare hands. Single use gloves are meant to create a barrier between residual infected hands with food and are often expected by customers to be used as a sign of safety. Yet, there are significant problems regarding gloving: it creates a false sense of protection that leads to risky behavior- food handlers do not feel their hands are dirty, hence tend to remove gloves and wash hands less often; bacteria grows rapidly in the moist and warm environment they create and a small perforation can contaminate food; and lastly, if gloves are not changed as frequently as recommended, they are capable of retaining and transfer more pathogens than bare hands.
Lydia Zweimiller, an Environmental Health Specialist with the Alexandria Environmental Health Division was granted a NEHA/UL Sabbatical Exchange Award that gave her the opportunity to draw a comparison between US hand hygiene regulations with UK’s. In her article …show more content…
"NEHA/UL Sabbatical Exchange Program Report: To Glove Or Not To Glove?" Journal Of Environmental Health 78.7 (2016): 28-31. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 July 2016.
Rönnqvist, M. et al. “Norovirus Transmission between Hands, Gloves, Utensils, and Fresh Produce during Simulated Food Handling.” Ed. D. W. Schaffner. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 80.17 (2014): 5403–5410. PMC. Web. 11 July 2016.
Estimates of Foodborne Illness in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014. Web. 09 July 2016.
Servsafe Coursebook. Chicago, IL: National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, 2012. Print.
Food Code (Food and Drug Administration), 3-301.11, Preventing Contamination from Hands, 65 (2013).
Every year, 1 in 6 Americans gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne illness, that is, diseases transmitted to people through food (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014). The estimated associated medical cost with this type of illness is of approximately $15.6 billion annually (CDC). This figure is certain to increase if food industry specific costs resulted from loss of consumer confidence in a brand or a business, associated recall expenses, lawsuits, etc. are added. Though they are common and costly, they are also preventable.
In food operations, cross contamination …show more content…
But the questions that bear asking are: if these guidelines are adequate, why Norovirus is still a leading cause of foodborne illness? Do gloves really contribute to food safety? Is it better to wear them or not? One of the aspects of this discussion relies on the fact that the Food Code – and its derived state and local regulations- lacks enough emphasis on improper glove use that leads to a much higher risk of contamination than bare hands. Single use gloves are meant to create a barrier between residual infected hands with food and are often expected by customers to be used as a sign of safety. Yet, there are significant problems regarding gloving: it creates a false sense of protection that leads to risky behavior- food handlers do not feel their hands are dirty, hence tend to remove gloves and wash hands less often; bacteria grows rapidly in the moist and warm environment they create and a small perforation can contaminate food; and lastly, if gloves are not changed as frequently as recommended, they are capable of retaining and transfer more pathogens than bare hands.
Lydia Zweimiller, an Environmental Health Specialist with the Alexandria Environmental Health Division was granted a NEHA/UL Sabbatical Exchange Award that gave her the opportunity to draw a comparison between US hand hygiene regulations with UK’s. In her article …show more content…
"NEHA/UL Sabbatical Exchange Program Report: To Glove Or Not To Glove?" Journal Of Environmental Health 78.7 (2016): 28-31. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 July 2016.
Rönnqvist, M. et al. “Norovirus Transmission between Hands, Gloves, Utensils, and Fresh Produce during Simulated Food Handling.” Ed. D. W. Schaffner. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 80.17 (2014): 5403–5410. PMC. Web. 11 July 2016.
Estimates of Foodborne Illness in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014. Web. 09 July 2016.
Servsafe Coursebook. Chicago, IL: National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, 2012. Print.
Food Code (Food and Drug Administration), 3-301.11, Preventing Contamination from Hands, 65 (2013).