So they have to wear gloves, right?

You walk into a café at lunchtime and order a chicken and salad wrap to be freshly made from the cold display. You notice that the staff member making the wrap doesn’t wear gloves. That’s against the law right???

Gloves are certainly expected by the public as they are seen to keep hands away from food, but are they legally required?

Gloves are intended to prevent or control contamination and if used properly, do an excellent job. The problem is that as many are not used correctly, they can easily become a contamination source themselves. As an example; we have all seen food staff handle money and then food whilst wearing gloves.

Chapter 3.2.2 of the Food Standards Code has a focus on the prevention or control of contamination. Gloves are only one tool used for that prevention. They should be worn whenever there is a likelihood of the hands contaminating the food or contact surfaces. This includes whenever hands contain the following examples of contamination; dressings / bandages, creams / medications, skin conditions, wounds, and long or decorated finger nails. Another occasion when gloves should be worn is if there is jewellery that can’t or won’t be removed.

Staff should be trained in when, and how, to wear gloves properly, and there must be constant checks to ensure they are doing so. Remember that some staff may be allergic to some glove types, so ensure that workplace health and safety issues are also addressed.

It is also important to ensure that gloves do not become a substitute for good hand washing, they are simply a tool to support it.

So are gloves legally required? The answer is yes, as a recognised tool to prevent contamination, at all other times it is simply a business decision as to whether, and when, gloves must be worn.

More information can be found at www.foodstandards.gov.au