Glove Changing When Handling Money: Observational and Microbiological Analysis

Area of Science:

• Food safety research
• Microbiology
• Public health

Background:

• Mobile food vendors play a significant role in urban food supply.
• Monetary transactions can serve as a vector for pathogen transmission in food handling.
• Glove use and changing practices are critical for preventing cross-contamination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the frequency of glove changes by mobile food vendors post-transaction.
• To determine the prevalence of bacterial contamination on currency handled by these vendors.
• To evaluate the risk of foodborne illness associated with current vendor practices.

Main Methods:

• Observation of 495 monetary transactions among 25 mobile food vendors near Manhattan hospitals.
• Collection and bacterial analysis of 25 one-dollar bills for total colony-forming units.
• Testing for coliform bacteria presence on contaminated samples.

Main Results:

• Only seven glove changes were observed during 495 transactions.
• Eleven of 34 vendors handled money and food without gloves.
• 76% of dollar bills showed high bacterial loads (400-42,000 CFU), with 10 of 13 samples testing positive for coliforms.

Conclusions:

• Current glove-wearing and changing habits among mobile food vendors are inadequate.
• Dollar bills handled by vendors frequently harbor significant bacterial contamination, including coliforms.
• Enhanced strategies are necessary to improve vendor hygiene and mitigate foodborne illness risks.