The deli counter disaster

EHO Story 📩

My husband and I had popped out for the afternoon and needed to grab some lunch on the way. There is a fairly fancy butchers and deli I have driven past countless times. It always looked lovely from the outside, but I had never stopped.

I wish I had not bothered.

We were stood at the counter deciding what to order when the food handler behind it caught my attention.

Right in front of us, he lifted his gloved hand and began picking his teeth.

Yes. Really. At the counter. In full view.

Not ideal.

My husband was starving, and the look he gave me said please just choose something. So against my better judgement, I decided to order anyway, telling myself he would definitely change his gloves before handling our food.

He did not.

Instead, he walked to the wash hand basin, ran his hands under the water for a couple of seconds, wiped them on his apron, and came straight back to pick up our sausage roll and Scotch egg.

At that point I knew there was no way I was eating any of it. Maybe I should have said something, but that day I chose to walk away quietly. I paid, left, and handed the bag to my husband to choose whether to eat it or bin it.

Food Safety Tip ✅

Gloves only work when the habits behind them are correct.

✔️ Gloves must be changed after touching your face, nose, hair etc.

✔️ Gloves must be changed regularly and after each task.

✔️ Gloves must be removed before handwashing and must not replace thorough and regular hand washing.

The Serious Lesson

Gloves do not stop contamination if the behaviour is poor. They simply hide it.

And customers notice. Even if they do not say anything, they notice. And they may not come back.

If you run a food business, invest time in your team’s habits. It’s good habits that protect food, not gloves alone.

Because a glove is only as clean as the last thing it touched.