Domino’s Pizza has explained why its employees aren’t required to wear surgical gloves when preparing food, with numerous studies backing up the company’s reasoning.
American pizza chain Domino’s has been going strong since brothers Thomas and Jim founded the beloved joint back in 1960.
Since then, loyal customers from all over the planet have spent almost seven decades chowing down on highly-rated pizzas like the MeatZZa and the decadent six cheese special, as well as cult favourite sides like chicken strippers, plant-based nuggets, and moreish chocolate chip cookies.
Previously, the fast food giant has come under fire for its staff members preparing pizzas and other items without gloves on.
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But it turns out there’s a good reason why Domino's food handlers aren’t slipping into the latex items at work.
On the company’s website, there’s a whole section answering commonly-asked questions, including if it’s safe to eat the company’s food if you’re pregnant (the answer is yes), and a confirmation that the L-cysteine used in its pizza bases is chemically synthesised, so it is suitable for vegetarians.
Another frequently asked question is: “Why don't Domino's pizza makers wear gloves?”
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In response, a statement claimed that just as you wouldn’t see top chefs in restaurants wearing gloves to prepare meals, its staff members don’t wear them to bake pizzas.
“We find that our team members are much more likely to keep continually washing their hands when they are not wearing gloves,” Domino’s continued.
“We actively encourage hand washing in our stores as part of our high in-store standards.”
This policy has been backed up with various research papers over the years.
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In a study affiliated with the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, researchers discovered that food workers tended to wear the same pair of gloves for extended periods, suggesting ‘that glove use might be counterproductive because workers might wash their hands less frequently when gloved.’
In 2023, research published in the Journal of Food Protection found that while disposable gloves serve ‘as a barrier between bare hands and food, their misuse, including reuse or lack of change, can potentially result in cross-contamination, compromising on food safety.’
As well as not wearing gloves, Domino’s doesn’t require its team members to wear hair nets when preparing your fast food.
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The company said this is because, in place of hair nets, employees don baseball caps.
“This is similar to most traditional butchers, where again you see people in hats rather than hair nets,” it reasoned.
“Our rules on hair covering are that hair longer than the top of the uniform shirt collar must be secured under the cap or restrained with a hair band or a hairnet. The important thing is that the hair is out of the way and not falling forward over food.”
So now you can rest easy knowing Domino's has precautions in place to protect your food.
Ella Scott