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S. GROVER, Health and Safety Regulatory Affairs, National Restaurant Association, 1200 Seventeenth St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036

The National Restaurant Association actively promotes a balanced approach to the issue of bare-hand contact. The key to improved food safety is a proper hand-washing focus and the elimination of dirty, bare-hand contact where appropriate. Simple, “silver-bullet” solutions such as mandatory glove use or banning bare-hand contact may be attractive to some, but generally prove to be impractical in real-world application. All practical information must be fully considered before any effective solution can be developed and implemented in restaurants. Rather than the unrealistic prohibition of all bare-hand contact, as depicted in the FDA Food Code, we believe that the solution lies in improved hand-washing compliance, restriction of ill employees, and effective hand-washing management. We continue to believe that the ultimate solution to reducing poor personal hygiene and dirty hand contact associated with illnesses is an effective education and training program highlighting hand washing and hand-washing management. The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation developed and offers this training today through its ServSafe program. We challenge others to join us in increasing the 1 million restaurant managers already trained and certified in our food-safety education program. Through consistent training, we can improve hand-washing compliance and management.