Oregon delays glove rules for cooks

By The Associated Press Published: Jun 28, 2012 at 1:10 PM PDT Last Updated: Jun 28, 2012 at 2:22 PM PDT
Oregon delays glove rules for cooks
odolpho Mendez prepares tacos on the assembly line at Por Que No? in East Portland. Mendez has worked at the restaurant for three years and prepares dishes with his bare hands, but new regulations would require cooks to wear plastic gloves at all times while working with food. (AP Photo/The Oregonian,Alysha Beck)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Health Authority has delayed a rule that would have taken effect Sunday to require restaurant cooks to wear gloves and avoid touching food with their bare hands.

The delay of several months will give restaurant owners time to make their case that a glove requirement is not safer than current state rules for rigorous hand-washing.

The Oregonian reports the authority plans to hold another hearing in August.

The authority's Eric Pippert says gloves aren't foolproof, but requiring them would help prevent the spread of norovirus, the most-common cause of food poisoning.

It's often spread by food workers failing to wash their hands after using the restroom.

___

Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press