Food Standards Agency (FSA), an independent government agency responsible for food safety and hygiene in the UK has released an online article that puts traditional cloth oven mitts among the most risky cookware that can lead to food poisoning in the kitchen. The report that has been titled Kitchen Check says that if left uncleaned, wet and dirty, oven mitts make for one of the best places for bacteria to breed. The publication further suggests that tea towels, dishcloth and oven mitts should be changed frequently to avoid possibility of food poisoning. Speaking in support of the publication, consultant in Dulce Cocina, a leading brand of heat-resistant silicone oven gloves has advised the use of the silicone oven gloves as an alternative to the cloth mitts. “Although the silicone oven gloves cannot completely eliminate the dangers of food poisoning, they are at least a step in the right direction,” the media spokesperson for Dulce Cocina said. Silicone oven gloves are a latest invention in the market that is more hygienic and safer to use than the traditional cloth mitts. Unlike the cloth mitts, the gloves are water-resistant and dishwasher friendly. Nevertheless, cloth oven mitts and dish cloths are not the only food poisoning culprits identified in the FSA publication. In a survey conducted by the Food Standards Agency, it turns out that up to 80 percent of people who handle food engaged in server behaviors that put them at risk of food poisoning. The risky behaviors covered in the report include leaving dirty cookware near the food preparation area, not washing hands when handling food or after handling raw food. Consequently, the agency has come up with a tool to measure how safe a person’s food handling behaviors are. The online application, which comprises of a set of questions in each of the cooking stages, aims to provide the respondents an indication of…
