Cost concerns and general opposition may prompt Hawaii to try and follow California by repealing new state health rules requiring food service workers to use utensils or gloves when preparing sushi or other ready-to-eat foods. The new rules just went into effect July 21 and have already drawn criticism from restaurant managers who say that wearing gloves while preparing certain foods is problematic, especially for sushi chefs. “There’s a lot of frustration. They’re trying really hard to feel the rice, the dab of wasabi, the texture of the fish,” said Chad Yang, general manager of the Morimoto Waikiki Japanese restaurant in Honolulu. Other critics say that having to use disposable gloves while preparing food just creates more garbage and slows down their work. The rules do allow a food establishment to apply for an exemption from the glove requirement, but only if handwashing practices are meticulously documented. Mitch’s Fish Market and Sushi bar applied for an exemption, and the owner indicated that his staff intends to follow the associated requirements. “They can’t get a feel for the rice, firstly. Secondly, they don’t want any cross-contamination with different species of fish. So every time they cut a different fish, they do wash their hands,” Craig Mitchell said. A food safety consultant on Oahu noted that his business is booming since the new rules went into effect. “Let’s just say my business is up quite a bit this year over last year. Everybody is panicking and I have people on wait lists all over the place,” said Tom Frigge. Despite the criticism, state health officials say there are no plans to change the no-bare-hands rule when preparing ready-to-eat foods. Just last month, the state assembly in California passed legislation repealing its glove law and replacing it with less-restrictive food safety regulations. Gov. Jerry Brown subsequently signed the repeal bill just before the new rules were to go into effect on July 1.
The News Desk team at Food Safety News covers breaking developments, regulatory updates, recalls, and key topics shaping food safety today. These articles are produced collaboratively by our editorial staff.
As part of its enforcement activities, the Food and Drug Administration sends warning letters to entities under its jurisdiction. Some letters are not posted for public view until weeks or
A man has been given a suspended sentence in England for food safety offences.
Arfan Sultan, from Ilford, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Nov. 14 following an investigation
A grocery company in New Zealand has been fined for selling recalled hummus products that may have contained Salmonella.
Foodstuffs South Island was told to pay $39,000 (U.S.
Rwanda has lifted a ban on some South African food products that was put in place in 2017 because of a Listeria outbreak that sickened more than 1,000 people.
The Food and Drug Administration uses import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries. The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed.
Recent
Prairie Farms is announcing a recall of select Prairie Farms Gallon Fat Free Milk produced at its Dubuque, IA, facility and distributed to Woodman’s stores in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Aoun brand tahineh is under recall in Canada because of contamination with Salmonella.
The recall was triggered by test results from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The recalled tahineh was
Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends and feasting. Once the holiday meal ends, the spotlight turns to enjoying the leftovers in the days ahead. To keep those leftovers safe
