Food Safety With Handgards

Handgards is the market leader in food safety and a manufacturer and distributor of disposable gloves, bags and apparel.

September: National Food Safety Education Month

Food safety is again on the minds of everyone. As if food safety scares, food recalls and bad press were not enough to bring attention to this very serious subject, Food Safety Education now has its own month; September. This month is being devoted to food safety awareness, education and better practices to again make it Priority #1. Food safety is no longer just the responsibility of the operator or end user - every facet of the food supply chain is being held accountable for the integrity and quality of foods in our market and restaurants today. With that being said, Handgards has many ways to help your operation address food safety.

Food Safety

There are 9 Basic Principles of Food Safety to be aware of:

1. Improperly stored foods

2. Cross contamination, most commonly occurring during the preparation of foods.

3. Undercooked foods

4. Delivery of foods, most often delivered at incorrect temperatures

5. Handling foods by dirty hands or ungloved hands

6. Holding foods, such as steam pans or pots

7. Serving foods

8. Cooling foods, often not cooled at all

9. Reheating foods to the improper temperature

The first 3 principles are the leading causes of food borne illness and should be paid special attention to. Many training courses, such as ServSafe, and online resources, including FDA.gov and CDC.gov are available to address and teach you the proper techniques and temperatures involved with each principle. 

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system)
Are you HACCP compliant? HACCP is a methodology of identifying potential hazards and resolving them based on 7 steps: Hazard analysis, critical control points, critical limits, monitoring procedures, corrective actions, verification procedures, and record keeping and document procedures. The most commonly accepted and easiest to implement HACCP procedure is the use of color coding. Handgards has made this procedure even easier with our colored vinyl disposable gloves.

For more information on becoming HACCP compliant, please visit ServSafe.com or contact your local Sales Representative to see if ServSafe classes are offered at your PFG location.

New Products and Features from Handgards

Colored Vinyl Disposable Gloves
To coincide with HACCP, Handgards is now offering Colored Vinyl disposable gloves to accomplish the extra steps towards eliminating cross contamination, leading to food borne illness. Colored vinyl can be used for specific food types, or to distinguish different stages of food prep. If an employee is wearing blue gloves yet is holding a piece of poultry, you immediately know there has been a possible threat of cross contamination.  These gloves are offered in blue, green and yellow. They are powder free, easy to indentify and offer improved dexterity and touch sensitivity.

Color Tinted Food Rotation System
Using color tinted bags to preportion foods is the best way to keep your operation safe.  This is an excellent upgrade to the existing system of using clear bags with stickers. The use of color allows your employees to quickly identify older portions that need to be used before they expire.  Each day has its own color and every bag has the day of the week printed in 4 languages.

Gloves with Microban
Microban is an antimicrobial that inhibits the growth of bacteria. Gloves with Microban are suitable for both back and front of the house tasks.  This is just another way your operation can practice safe food handling procedures.

For more information on these and other great products from Handgards, please visit their site at handgards.com.