by Andy Bozeman
This is about food safety, not clothing. I’m not writing about fashion fads, or cultural clothing preferences. I am writing about one of the points when food safety and fashion collide.
I recently visited a fast food establishment for lunch. When I walked in the door a male teenager welcomed me, as he promptly walked from behind the prep area to the service counter. I was impressed from the start. He offered a cheerful greeting. He was neatly dressed in a polo shirt bearing the company’s logo. A baseball-style cap covered his head as well as most of his close-cropped hair. The cap was on straight with the bill pointing forward, not slanted to the side or back. Best of all he was wearing gloves. He quickly took my order, accepted my payment, and even counted my change back (unheard of these days). I should add that he did all of that with the gloves on, not an uncommon practice.
But then…
He turned to go to the prep area, took two steps, stopped, and pulled up his pants. That’s when I noticed he was wearing pants that were so loose and so low they couldn’t stay up on their own. So, with his gloved hands he tugged the pants up nearer his waist.
But then…
He stepped to the prep table, and reached for a nearby box of disposable gloves, as he side-stepped toward a hand-washing sink. “That’s good,” I thought. But, he didn’t wash his hands and change gloves. All he did was set the glove box aside so it wouldn’t be in his way. As he stepped back to the prep table he pulled up his pants, again.
Then, the manager came out of her office. I waved her toward me and whispered, “Watch what he does.” She stood with me and watched.
The teenager finished prepping my order, and pulled up his pants.
He wrapped my food in wax paper, and pulled up his pants.
He needed a box which was across the aisle. Stepping toward the boxes, he pulled up his pants.
As he returned to the prep table his pants slipped down again. He couldn’t handle the process to fold the box and pull his pants up too, so he leaned against the table trapping the waist band with his hip. He placed the wrapped food in the box, and the box in a bag. As he stepped toward the service counter with a perfect I’m-happy-to-serve-you smile, what did he do?
I gave the manager a perfect did-you-see-that look.
She responded with a look that perfectly asked, “What?”
Any professionals and health administrators and inspectors reading this already know what I’m about to say. But there are thousands of school students who read Fusion Minute for homework then discuss it in class.
Gloves are worn to protect the food from the food handler, not the other way around.
Here’s what he did wrong.
- He handled money
- He failed to wash his hands and change gloves
- He prepared a customer’s order with dirty hands and gloves, which risked contamination of the food with pathogens that could make the customer sick
- He regularly tugged at his pants, which would have contaminated even new gloves. But, because he started the process with dirty gloves, every time he touched his pants the probability of contamination just got worse. The right thing? Every time he touched his pants, he should’ve stopped to wash his hands and change gloves. And, oh yeah…..he could wear pants that actually fit, and a belt to prevent the problem.
- Complete failure to notice anything at all.
- Training, Training, Training, Training, Training!!!!!
I bet you’re wondering which franchise it was. It might’ve been one of those places that promotes itself by association with rank and royalty, like a king or queen or high level of military achievement. But it could just as easily be a place whose mascot is a rosy-cheeked child or a clown or a cowboy.
Thank you.
