In general, the Michigan Food Law of 2000 and the 1999 FDA Food Code [Section 3-301.11 (B)] prohibit employees from having any bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods. However, Section 6151 of the Michigan Food Law of 2000 allows operators to deviate from the bare hand contact prohibition if the operator implements certain practices and procedures.

To satisfy the requirements of Section 6151, operators must do all of the following:

The operator evaluates alternatives to bare hand contact and determines them to be impractical within their establishment. For example, determine why it is impractical for employees to use tongs, tissues, gloves, paddles, or other implements to prepare the items.

MRA Members – see the January/February 2001 issue for the whole story, or e-mail the mra for a downloadable version.

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