A sneeze guard has been a popular health addition mainly for salad bars and buffet tables to keep germs and contamination away from food and utensils. Sneeze guards usually include an acrylic pane or roof within a channeled frame that hangs over the food table. They can be detached and remounted or adjusted in an open or closed position. It protects food from microorganisms or bacteria carried by customers. Diners may unintentionally spread disease or viruses by coughing or sneezing over the food. The clear pane is meant to keep the food clean and away from any possible contamination.
Changes
The sneeze guard has undergone many changes over the years for better protection and easier installation. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration notes that sneeze guards are especially important during times of high exposure risk for pandemic influenza.
History
Restaurateur John P. Garneau Sr., who operated popular buffets in Pennsylvania and Florida, designed a "covered food service table" after he noticed his buffet tables were exposed to customers serving themselves. It was patented in 1959 and many observers believe it was the first sneeze guard, because it solved the problem of coughing and sneezing. Webster's Online Dictionary gives credit to an updated version in 1994 patented by Peter A. LaVaute and Sydney W. Baumgartner.
Utensils
Garneau continued his designs for improved buffet systems by helping to design a system that protected food utensils from spreading microorganisms. Customers use a grip handle to pick up utensils while on line at the buffet table, according to Safe Food Systems Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Safety
Health experts are still concerned about safety at the salad bar. The Division of Environmental Health in Alaska reports that consumers themselves are a major problem at the table, even with sneeze guards in place. The division points to a study at the University of California that found 60 percent of customers committed at least one unhealthy infraction at the salad bar. These violations included spilling food around containers, dipping their fingers into salad dressings, eating from plates while on the serving line, ducking their heads underneath the sneeze guard for food, usually done by children and refilling used plates with second helpings.
Warning
It seems that even with improvements to sneeze guards over salad bars and buffet tables, the problem of health safety still exists. Customers are advised to spoon up their salads to avoid spillage, never to sample food from a bowl, not to eat while on the serving line, never stick their heads under the guard and to use a new plate when returning for seconds.
Member Comments