July 17—As of July 1st Oregon foodservice operators should have been required to comply with a law [2009 FDA Retail Food Code] that prohibited foodservice workers to touch prepared food with their bare hands. However, instead Oregon public health officials delayed the decision because of public debate that these new safety rules were not actually safe.
Regulators of Oregon's Foodborne Illness Prevention Program announced that “…at this time, the ‘No Bare Hand Contact’ section of new food safety rules will not be adopted.”
Among the complaints raised by food experts: gloves give foodservice handlers a false sense of cleanliness, create more plastic waste (especially since plastic bags are banned in Oregon) and add a supplementary cost for restaurateurs.