Which of the following is required when working with ready-to-eat foods?

When working with ready-to-eat foods, it is essential to use gloves and ensure that surfaces are cleaned with sanitizer. This combination significantly reduces the risk of foodborne illnesses by minimizing contamination.

Wearing gloves provides a barrier between your hands and the food, helping to prevent pathogens that may be present on your skin from transferring to the ready-to-eat items. This is particularly important since these foods do not undergo further cooking processes that would eliminate harmful microorganisms.

Simultaneously, cleaning surfaces with sanitizer is crucial because surfaces that have come into contact with raw foods or have been exposed to various contaminants must be treated to ensure they are safe for preparing or serving ready-to-eat items. Sanitizing surfaces effectively reduces the risk of cross-contamination that can lead to food safety issues.

Thus, both wearing gloves and cleaning surfaces with sanitizer are necessary practices to uphold food safety standards when handling ready-to-eat foods.