In the 1880s Louis Pasteur studied germs and encouraged doctors to sanitize their hands and equipment before surgery. Prior to this, few practiced the procedure. A lack of understanding of germs and bacteria led to the spread of disease that killed more Civil War soldiers than enemy bullets during the entire war. Over 100,000 die in the U.S. yearly because doctors and nurses do not wash their hands. What have we learned?
If we washed our hands, we might not end up as a statistic. The number of establishments employing poor hand-washing practices is appalling. Recent examples: An employee that picked up our order with bare hands and when asked to fix another wearing gloves, complained that wearing gloves made the open cut on his finger hurt; a Laurel employee who put down his cell and used that hand to pick up meat. There is absolutely no excuse for any food server to not wash their hands after using the bathroom and before preparing food items, or to use clean gloves. We still need to educate people and enact stricter laws requiring the use of gloves and soaps. A consumer should not have to ask for hands to be washed or gloves to be used. But they need to do so.
You as a consumer need to watch how your food is handled. Speak up! Protect yourself! And use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer before you consume your food. The life you save may be your own—or that of someone you love.
Cynthia Wood
Laurel