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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department has tightened Lincoln restaurant rules, prohibiting restaurant workers from touching cooked food with their bare hands.
The Lincoln Journal Star (http://bit.ly/1U8Qx7w ) reports that a health-related advisory board to the department approved the no-bare-hands policy earlier this month.
Scott Holmes, manager of the department's environmental health division, said the idea behind the policy is that once food is cooked, no staffer should touch it before it's served.
The proposal allows some exceptions, such as garnishing beverages and washing produce with bare hands. Staff can also touch food before it's cooked.
The board recommended the proposal to prevent outbreaks of a flu-like illness called norovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhea.
Holmes said many chain restaurants already have similar policies. The local proposal follows a national trend to develop such models.
Holmes said establishments will be able to opt out of the no-bare-hands policy without a lot of paperwork or a rigorous exemption process.
"Rather than have to fill out a bunch of forms, establishments can adopt this policy and inspectors will confirm it and determine if it is adequate," Holmes said.
He doesn't expect many restaurants to opt out, but that the reason for those that do will likely be to make delicate types of dishes, such as sushi, that some chefs believe need to be handled with care hands.
"We came up with reasonable compromises," Holmes said.
The proposal is an updated version of a Federal Drug Administration recommendation in 2009. The City Council will likely hold a public hearing on the policy April 11.
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Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, http://www.journalstar.com
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