The Douglas County Health Department is reminding food service operators and employees that bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods is no longer permitted, following Nebraska’s adoption of updated federal food safety regulations.
Nebraska adopted the United States Food and Drug Administration’s 2022 Food Code Rule 3-301.11(B) in April, which prohibits food workers from directly touching ready-to-eat foods with their bare hands.
Adopting this portion of the rule aims to reduce the risk of spreading foodborne illnesses, particularly Norovirus, which the CDC reports is the leading cause of foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States…