Bakery-counter hygiene: are gloves and tongs actually required in Latvian stores?

A reader wrote to Latvijas Avīze describing a scene many shoppers recognize: at supermarket bakery counters, people pick up loose bread rolls or pastries with bare hands, inspect them, put them back, and take another, even though tongs, scoops or disposable gloves are usually available nearby.

The Food and Veterinary Service (PVD) explained that neither EU nor Latvian food-safety regulations ban the sale of unpackaged food such as bread and pastries. That doesn't mean stores can simply leave products in self-service displays without oversight, however. Retailers are responsible for ensuring loose food available for self-selection is protected from contamination, retains its quality, and remains safe for consumers. As part of their internal control systems, food businesses must assess contamination risks and put measures in place to reduce them, and must regularly monitor both the sales area and the products themselves. If inspections find violations, PVD can order them fixed and may impose penalties if they aren't.

What retailers say

Rimi Latvia said its stores provide tongs, scoops and disposable gloves, which customers are encouraged to use, and staff can remind shoppers to do so when needed. Many Rimi stores still offer hand-sanitizing stations kept in place since the Covid-19 pandemic, even though this is no longer required. The company said it does receive customer complaints about such situations, but only a few per month.

Maxima Latvija likewise provides tongs and disposable gloves at self-service displays for loose products, along with signage encouraging their use. The company said display cases are cleaned regularly and equipment washed and disinfected, and that if staff notice a situation threatening product quality, the affected items are removed from sale.