A cashier at a panadería handles money at the register, then is asked to bag fresh pan dulce with her hands. What is the food safety concern and correct step?
a.She should wipe her hands on a fresh apron and keep bagging, since changing aprons replaces a hand wash
b.She only needs to wash her hands at the start of the shift and after each scheduled break, then bag the bread bare-handed
c.There is no concern, because the pan dulce was baked this morning and the oven heat (a kill step) covers the counter
d.Money is dirty; she must wash her hands (and ideally use tissue or gloves) before touching the ready-to-eat bread
Explanation
Handling money contaminates the hands, so a cashier must wash her hands, and use deli tissue, a utensil, or gloves, before handling ready-to-eat pan dulce, because bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food is prohibited. The bread was baked earlier and will not be cooked again, so the oven heat this morning protects nothing that is added at the counter now. Changing or wiping on an apron is not a hand wash, and money is exactly the kind of contamination event that requires a fresh wash rather than one wash per shift.
Law Reference: FDA Food Code §2-301.14Practice all 500 questions free — no signup required.
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