When should gloves be changed during food preparation?

Changing gloves during food preparation is crucial for preventing cross-contamination and ensuring food safety. It is essential to change gloves whenever they become soiled or after handling raw food. This practice helps eliminate the transfer of harmful bacteria and pathogens that may be present on raw food items, such as poultry or seafood, to ready-to-eat foods.

For instance, if an employee handles raw chicken and then moves on to prepare a salad without changing their gloves, they risk contaminating the salad with bacteria from the raw chicken. By changing gloves in these situations, workers can maintain a clean working environment and safeguard the health of consumers.

The other choices do not capture the critical timing of glove changes needed to maintain proper hygiene during food handling. Simply changing gloves at the end of a work shift fails to address any contamination that could occur during food preparation. Changing them every hour might not align with actual hygiene needs, and waiting until gloves start to wear out may also expose food to contaminants. Therefore, the correct practice is to change gloves whenever they become soiled or after handling raw food to ensure food safety.