Hygiene issues associated with food service potholders and oven mitts

Food service kitchen oven mitts and potholders are indispensable forms of personal protective equipment (PPE). As mitts and potholders are often contaminated with both raw and cooked food soils that support microbial survival and growth, it has been suggested that they present a possible risk to food safety. To ascertain the extent to which these items might contribute to cross-contamination, 10 dirty oven mitts and 3 dirty potholders obtained from a variety of establishments in the US were surveyed for microbial populations. Aerobic plate counts (APC) as high as 7 × 10⁶ colony forming units (CFU) were found on outer surfaces. Potholders taken from a hospital kitchen were found to have approximately 10⁶ CFU coliforms and B. cereus. Overall, samples examined were seen to have high coliform, B. cereus, and Pseudomonas spp. counts with occasional C. perfringens found. Interior surfaces of mitts, while lower than exterior (geometric mean APC 1.2 × 10⁵ versus 6.0 × 10⁴), were also found to be contaminated with S. aureus. While no E. coli, Listeria spp. or Salmonella spp. were found, indications are that food service PPE offering thermal protection can become contaminated and may, in turn, contaminate hands and food, unless frequently cleaned or sanitized.