Argumentative Analysis: The Gloves Are Off

Chris Kizer
Mr. Conway
25 March 2014
Writing 1
The Gloves Are Off A common argument that many people in many professions are asking if using gloves are truly necessary when working. Anything from cleaning ladies using latex gloves when they are cleaning, to chefs using gloves when they are cooking a dish. Some choose to wear them while some argue that they aren’t necessary. They truly aren’t necessary in most cases and occupations. However the answer you receive when you ask anyone depends on the region that you live in. The health code depends on what state you are in and what they believe in. 38 of the 50 states have mandated that gloves be mandatory when handling food. The law is very vague and states that it’s required when handling
food of any nature. “Although single-use gloves can provide additional food protection, they are only effective if placed on properly washed hands and changed at appropriate times during the food operation. The Minnesota Food Code requires that employees limit direct hand contact with food.” Imagine you go to a restaurant and you see a chef get back from a smoke break and you see him start to cook after putting on some gloves, you want to just run to him and scream at him.
A study that was done by Food Safety News shows that wearing gloves actually isn’t beneficial at all. That it actually could be worse than not wearing any gloves at all. The heat that your body gives off combined with the moisture left on your hands after washing them makes the perfect atmosphere for bacteria to grow and prosper. Many people that wear gloves get a sense of security when wearing gloves. People start to think that they are invincible, that they can do anything wrong. Too many times you go to a restaurant and see a chef grab a sanitized towel then go straight to cooking. The security that gloves give you leads to higher risk of cross contamination and danger of getting people
sick. In a 2007 study by the journal of food safety hand washing was less when wearing gloves. They noticed that the people that were wearing gloves washed their hands half as much as those who did wear gloves. This can lead to a higher cross contamination rate if employees are not properly trained on how to properly wear gloves without running a risk of getting a people sick. “Occlusion of the skin during long-term glove use in food operations creates the warm, moist conditions necessary for microbial proliferation and can increase pathogen transfer onto foods through leaks or exposed skin or during glove removal.” In other words, just wearing gloves can create dangerous conditions.” The lack of hand washing poses a bigger question when using gloves. When you get gloves out of the box you touch the outside of the glove. Then when you touch some food it is practically the same as touching the food with your bare hands. This poses the question then “Why wear gloves what good do they actually do?” To make matters worse if a person is sick, then they get out some gloves they stand a very good chance of getting someone sick as well. Another problem with using gloves is the large cost and waste associated with them.
The billions that are spent on gloves is money that could be spent elsewhere such as improvements in the restaurant, kitchen improvements, automatic soap dispensers or automatic paper towel dispensers. Even on front of house improvements such as newer lighting or even new seating and tables to make more seating for guests. Also the money could be spent on advertising to help promote the restaurant more. Companies that want to save money by not using gloves need to invest in hand washing stations with automatic foot pedals and automatic towel
dispensers A major problem that is posed with the use of gloves is that many people are allergic to latex, the main product in rubber gloves. Companies that make the gloves also make vinyl gloves to prevent this from hindering people from using gloves. The vinyl gloves however are very difficult to get on and rip more than the amount of times that you can get them on your hands. An observation that seems to be a rising problem is when using gloves people will clean their surface and go straight to cooking again. This is the leading reason for cross contamination which can lead to getting people sick. Cross contamination is the process of transferring either chemicals or a dangerous food (i.e. shellfish or raw chicken) to another food. Although there might be many upsides to wearing gloves, the pros strongly outweigh the cons. Gloves may seem to be beneficial on paper, but they are quite the opposite they cost a company precious dollars, and pollute the environment. Gloves cause sickness and promote bad cooking habits.
Works Cited
Lam, Francis. Salon. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. <http://www.salon.com/2010/10/13/food_handler_glove_laws/>.
Green, Aliza. "The gloves can come off, as far as I’m concerned." The Washington Post **Journal Info** (2012): n. pag. **Database or Web publisher**. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
"Hand Sanitizers & Single-Use Gloves." Minnesota Department of Health. N.p.. Web. 28 Mar 2014. <http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/food/fs/glove.html>.