Does one have to wear single-use gloves when handling commercially packaged items?

No. Single-use gloves only need to worn when handling EXPOSED cooked and/or ready-to-eat foods. The packaging functions in a similar manner that gloves do -- they protect the food from contaminants that might be on the hands.

For example, properly washed hands can be used to handle bread dough but when the bread is baked, one must wear single-use gloves to handle the baked bread. Commercially processed foods, such as Pizza Pockets and breakfast sandwiches, must be handled with gloved hands before and after cooking because they are ready-to-eat. Gloves must also be worn when washing and slicing fresh fruits and vegetables because they are also ready-to-eat.