California eFoodHandlers Practice Exam

When should a food handler change their gloves?

1. After packaging food

2. Every hour regardless of contamination

3. After handling raw food or when contaminated

4. Before serving drinks to customers

The correct answer is: After handling raw food or when contaminated

A food handler should change their gloves after handling raw food or when contamination occurs to ensure the safety and quality of the food being prepared and served. Gloves can easily become contaminated while handling raw proteins like meat, poultry, or seafood, and continuing to use the same gloves can transfer harmful bacteria to ready-to-eat foods. This practice minimizes the risk of foodborne illnesses and cross-contamination. While it is important to maintain hygiene by wearing gloves when preparing food, simply changing gloves every hour without a legitimate reason can lead to wastefulness and does not contribute effectively to food safety. Likewise, although changing gloves before serving drinks can be a reasonable practice, it's not as critical as changing them after handling raw food or in response to visible contamination. Therefore, changing gloves after handling raw food or when they become contaminated is crucial for maintaining proper food safety standards.