Every September, the National Restaurant Association celebrates National Food Safety Month as a way to increase awareness and educate employees about proper food handling.
It’s an ideal time for glove distributors to highlight the importance of disposable glove use in food service and processing. In 2021, with the Delta variant of the coronavirus widely spreading, it is even more crucial to ensure that restaurant workers are properly gloved up.
The National Restaurant Association represents more than 380,000 eateries in the United States. The trade organization predicts that food and beverage sales in the restaurant and food service industry are projected to total $789 billion in 2021, up 19.7% from 2020.
Fighting their way back to profitability
In the first six months of this year, before the Delta variant severely damaged the national recovery from COVID-19, restaurant business was bolstered by rising vaccination numbers, consumers with more disposable income, and a pent-up desire to get out after being in quasi-lockdown.
Everyone in food service has one thing in common: the need to be proactive about preventing the spread of pathogens and contaminants to protect employees and customers alike from foodborne illnesses. After meticulous hand washing, disposable gloves are the first line of defense against bacteria like E.coli and hepatitis A, and such illnesses as norovirus and salmonella.
Because food service workers are often forced to go to work when they are sick, they pose a higher risk of contaminating food. Fifty-four percent of outbreaks caused by infected food workers involve improper handling of ready-to-eat-foods such as washed raw fruits and vegetables, baked goods, or items that have already been cooked.
Gloves are essential equipment
In the months ahead, while restaurants continue to battle Delta and get back on their feet after a brutal 2020, disposable gloves will be more important than ever. From hosts and hostesses to wait staff to kitchen workers to cleanup crews, insisting on gloves for everyone is just smart business.
Vinyl gloves are well suited to working with food. They deliver the right amount of barrier protection at an attractive price, especially considering that restaurant work involves frequent glove changes. And they come in different colors so you can color-code by process to avoid cross-contamination.
