Which task would allow bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods, without regulatory authority approval?

• A. Washing fruits and vegetables
• B. Slicing deli meat
• C. Handling packaged bread
• D. Opening a jar with bare hands

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that only certain low-risk cleaning tasks are allowed to involve bare hands with ready-to-eat foods without special approval. Washing fruits and vegetables fits this because it’s a cleaning step that directly reduces soil and microbes with water, and it’s generally accepted that hands can be used during this routine rinse when they’re clean. It doesn’t create a path for contaminants as directly as handling or preparing foods.

Slicing deli meat, handling packaged bread, or opening a jar all involve touching the edible product or surfaces that can transfer microbes to the product, so gloves or utensils are required or regulatory approval would be needed. Therefore, washing fruits and vegetables is the best choice for bare-hand contact without special approval.