Fisher's Mom
Executive Chef
Inferno is dead on here and even if the scenarios seemed disgusting, they were real and how a lot of food-borne illness happens. And there have been many studies done on the spread of illness in hospitals. A very large study recently showed that proper handwashing with soap was the most effective way to prevent the spread of germs, superior to hand sanitizer gels and foams. And when rigid handwash practices were put in place in hospitals as a result of this study, hospital acquired illnesses dropped dramatically to almost nil.Sounds like a classic debate with my uncle. I'll summarize it:
When talking, saliva is airborne and going onto whoever it is you're talking to. If you cough, a whole lot more saliva comes out as well as more bacteria. The mouth is no sanitary place and bacteria love it there. If you cough on your hands then handle food, it's direct contact.
As for the coughing vs talking, that is partially true. You are being exposed to the bacteria/germs while talking. However, when you cough, bacteria from part of the respiratory tract can come up and about. These bacteria will go onto the person/food but some can remain in the mouth, transferred while talking.
"Dry cough"? That's false. Talking and exhaling releases saliva. A cough is by no means an exception. Their mouth may feel dry to them (result from the hypothalamus, etc...) but there still is moisture there.
If you're ill, then there can be a whole lot more of bacteria/germs around that you transfer into the food.
Just as an added fact, if you knew or not, in university, I believe my first year, we made a colony of E.coli and used various cleaners/antibiotics on the cultures to see what would have the most effect on killing it. If memory serves (I'm not planning to sift through my various stacks of lab write-ups), liquid soap was one of the most effective at killing it.
I use this as an arguement with my uncle since E.coli is a) Well-known b) It's not the most pleasent (although there are many other bacteria and viruses far worse) and isn't something you'll have in your mouth unless you're ill.
Think about this scenario. You're at a cafetaria ordering something for lunch. The server is handling food wearing no gloves and scratches their butt then with the other hand blows their nose into it. After that, they ask you what you would want.
The above scenario may seem rather disgusting and it's meant to be. However, consider this:
You're spreading bacteria just like you are if you cough and handle food. If you're in the kitchen, you have liquid dishsoap, which is fairly effective. Or, simply use alcohol rubs. If you are really paranoid, wear a pair of latex gloves and have several with you as a back-up.
I'm not a freak about germs either but I wash my hands many times in the preparation of meals and if I am ill, I wear those cheap plastic food handler gloves and a mask while preparing and serving food at home. It just makes sense to me. Since I'm the mom, if my family gets sick, I have to take care of them.