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Do food handlers cutting raw vegetables need to change their gloves before removing garbage from the kitchen?
This question tests the understanding of the specific order of operations and the purpose of single-use gloves as defined by the FDA Food Code and ServSafe. Gloves are primarily intended to protect ready-to-eat food from contamination by the food handler's hands. In the scenario described, the worker is moving from a food-prep task (cutting vegetables) to a non-food task (removing garbage). Because garbage is already considered 'dirty' or 'contaminated,' there is no risk of cross-contaminating the garbage with the residue from the vegetables. Therefore, the handler does not need to change gloves before taking out the trash.
However, the critical rule is what happens after the garbage is removed. Once the employee has handled garbage, their gloves are heavily contaminated. Before returning to any food-related activity or touching clean equipment, the employee must remove the soiled gloves, wash their hands thoroughly for the required 20 seconds, and put on a fresh pair of gloves. ServSafe emphasizes that gloves must be changed when they become torn or dirty, when beginning a different task, after an interruption (like a phone call), and specifically after handling raw meat, seafood, or poultry before touching ready-to-eat food. In this specific multiple-choice logic, the focus is on whether the act of removing garbage is protected from the vegetables. Since the answer is no, the worker can proceed to the dirty task, provided they follow the rigorous handwashing and re-gloving protocol before returning to the 'Flow of Food.'