When allergies are discussed in ServSafe food manager training, we often cover allergen culprits that are ingested such as nuts, shellfish and dairy, but there are other allergens such as latex that causes a reaction on contact. While severe latex reactions to minimal contact are rare, they can happen so it’s best to be prepared in the event one of your staff or a guest suffers from a latex allergy.
How ServSafe Food Managers can Prevent Allergic Reactions to Latex
It’s important to make sure that ready-to-eat foods are never touched with bare hands, and in order to prevent bare-hand contact many ServSafe food managers stock their kitchen with latex food-service gloves. This will be the most common source of a reaction to those who are allergic. If any of your staff is allergic or sensitive to latex, you’ll most likely see a mild to severe skin reaction including:
- Excessively dry skin
- Itchy rashes
- Cracked and bleeding skin
- Numbness in the fingers
While you may never see an allergic reaction outside of your kitchen staff, there are some who are sensitive to minimal contact from latex powder or food that has come into contact with latex. If you have a guest that is severely allergic to latex, they may experience:
- Throat soreness or swelling
- Nasal irritation or bloody nose
- Gum, mouth or tongue irritation and swelling
If you’re a ServSafe food manager who has an employee who is sensitive to latex, or want to be prepared in the event you have a guest alert you to a severe latex allergy, we suggest you keep some vinyl food service gloves on hand. Vinyl gloves may not fit as snuggly as latex, but it’s best to be prepared for those who are allergic.
Do you provide your staff with an alternative to latex food-service gloves?