New “Handwashing Lie Detectors” Will Out Food Service Workers Who Don’t Wash Their Hands

You’d probably rather not think about how many people TOUCHED your food in the process of preparing it at restaurants . . . with or without gloves.

According to the CDC, food workers wash their hands only 33% of the time . . . meaning germs can spread from workers’ hands to food, which can trigger an outbreak of foodborne illness in restaurants, including norovirus, Salmonella, and E. coli.

So THIS could help:  There’s a new product called The Handscanner, which is being described as a “handwashing lie detector.”

It looks like a mounted hand dryer.  A worker places their hands under it after washing their hands . . . palms up, then palms down . . . and within two seconds, it can identify any residual contaminant using “light fluorescence spectroscopy,” with safe, non-UV LED lights.

It’s not brand new technology . . . a similar system is already used in the healthcare industry.  And the Handscanner itself is already being introduced to 10,000 restaurants worldwide, including some Taco Bell and Arby’s locations.

Of course, the customers don’t see the Handscanner reports.

It’s mostly meant to alert workers when they need to re-wash their hands . . . if contaminants are still stuck in hard-to-clean areas, like beneath fingernails, and around jewelry and your knuckles.

The worker is then instructed to re-wash and re-test.  The system can also RAT YOU OUT to your boss if you ignore the results.

Also, it can be used with GLOVES, although gloves can be nastier than bare hands . . . because they’re harder to clean, they can lead to LESS hand-washing, and they often give a false sense of security.

The CEO at the company that made the Handscanner says, “When someone says to me their hands are clean because they have gloves on, I say, ‘all, right, lick ’em.’  And they say, ‘no, my gloves are disgusting.’”

(CNN)