When to change single-use gloves during food preparation

Gloves can create a false sense of security. A worker who touches raw chicken, a phone, a trash lid or their face can transfer contamination on a glove just as they can on a bare hand. The FDA Food Code treats gloves as one tool in a larger handwashing and cross-contamination system.

Change gloves when the task or contamination risk changes

Remove and discard single-use gloves when they become torn, soiled or otherwise contaminated. Change them between handling raw animal food and ready-to-eat food, and after tasks that make the glove unsafe for the next task. Follow the establishment's procedures and the adopted local code; the FDA Food Code is a model code, and jurisdictions adopt and enforce their own versions.

Wash hands before putting gloves on

Putting a glove over unwashed hands traps contamination against the hand and can contaminate the glove's outside while it is donned. Wash hands at the required times, dry them, then put on clean gloves. After removing gloves, wash hands before returning to food handling. Do not wash or reuse single-use gloves.

Gloves are not a substitute for utensils

For exposed ready-to-eat food, suitable utensils such as tongs, deli tissue or dispensing equipment can prevent direct hand contact. The Food Code generally prohibits bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food, with limited conditions and a regulatory-authority-approved alternative procedure; additional restrictions apply when serving a highly susceptible population. A glove is not permission to skip hygiene or an approved procedure.

Think through a common sequence

A worker portions raw beef, removes the gloves, washes and dries hands, then dons a new pair before assembling ready-to-eat sandwiches. After touching a cooler handle, the worker assesses whether the gloves became contaminated and changes them before continuing. The same pair should not travel from raw preparation to ready-to-eat assembly.

Exam checklist

• Wash hands before donning and after removing gloves.
• Discard single-use gloves after contamination, damage or a task change that creates cross-contamination risk.
• Use a new pair when moving from raw animal food to ready-to-eat food.
• Use clean utensils or the approved procedure required by the applicable code; gloves alone do not eliminate risk.
• Check local adoption because the FDA publishes a model code, not a single nationwide restaurant license rule.

Key takeaway

Change gloves whenever they may carry contamination into the next task, and wash hands as well. The safe sequence is clean hands, clean gloves when needed, and a fresh barrier when the food or task changes.