When can food handlers touch ready-to-eat food?

Food handlers can touch ready-to-eat food only with clean hands or appropriate utensils to ensure food safety. This practice helps minimize the risk of contamination from harmful pathogens that can be present on employees' hands. In environments where food is being prepared and served, maintaining strict hygiene standards is critical to prevent foodborne illnesses.

Using clean hands or utensils protects the integrity of ready-to-eat food, which is already in a form that will be consumed without further cooking. This guideline encourages the use of gloves or sanitized tools specifically designated for food handling. Adhering to this principle helps maintain food quality and safety, as it significantly reduces the likelihood of cross-contamination from raw food items or surfaces that have not been properly sanitized.