One of the keys to food safety is to stay away from things that have been touched by human hands. Then again, when you think about it, just about all food preparation involves touching food. If you think that everyone working in the kitchen is wearing sanitary gloves, you are delusional.
The funniest piece on party etiquette is the Seinfeld “Don’t Double Dip The Chip” episode. This the one where George gets confronted for double dipping his chip. While double dipping isn’t cool, there is probably less risk from the dreaded Double D than there is from unsanitary handling 
RULES TO LIVE BY…
- If you are doing the preparation, keep repeatedly washing your hands.
- If you are eating at a party, avoid things that have been repeatedly touched.
On my first trip to the Philippines, I traveled with a Finance guy. I ate everything in sight and had no problems. The next trip I travelled with a microbiologist who schooled me on the dangers of food safety. I was careful, and I got sicker than a dog. The moral of this story is that sometimes a little knowledge can be dangerous.
There is a great article in the Wall Street Journal from 10/14/18 “Grazing Tables Are Suddenly Everywhere – And Nobody Knows How To Use Them” The Essence of the Grazing Table article is that at the first glance, they make a great impression, but if you know a little bit about food safety, they can be a direct route to a touch of the ptomaine food poisoning.
I ran a coconut company in the Philippines where salmonella contamination was a constant risk. We had extensive processing steps and procedures to manage the risk. There was only one room where the processed material was packaged and that room was run like an operating room. For example, all workers went through full body washes and hand scrubbing. They wore scrubs, special shoes, gloves and masks. Cleaning procedures were meticulous. As I have professed in earlier blogs Processed Food have become dirty words in todays marketplace. But, there is food safety in food processing that even George Constanza would appreciate.
One last word of advice on food safety. If you ever think you might be at risk for food poisoning. Say you are heading to a third world country famous for food issues, or even going to that grazing buffet at a party. Take one chewable Pepto Bismol in the morning beforehand as a prophylactic precaution. A food scientist friend taught me this trick and it has served me and many others well. Give it a try.
When in doubt…remember the no-hands rules!
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