In which situation is bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food most clearly allowed under a typical, non-waivered operation?
Explanation
Bare-hand contact is prohibited with ready-to-eat food, but it is acceptable to handle food with bare hands when that food will still be cooked to its required temperature afterward, because cooking is a kill step. The other three all happen after any cook step: cold-cut sandwiches, dessert garnishes, and herbs torn onto a finished dish are ready-to-eat and need gloves, tongs, or deli tissue no matter how the item was processed upstream, and a garnish laid on a plated dessert is served and eaten with it. Washing produce destined for cooking does not trigger the ready-to-eat rule.
Law Reference: FDA Food Code §3-301.11Practice all 500 questions free — no signup required.
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