AIBU to suggests cafes should have to cover their food?

[hoven]

There's a cafe in my local park that I go to with my dc.

They sell lovely cakes and usually have around 5 an the counter.

However I hardly ever end up buying them as they are left uncovered.

AIBU to suggest every food establishment should cover the food they are selling?

If anyone knows if I can report to the food standards agency please let me know

Many years ago I used to work in a bank, the public cash desk had a large glass/perspex screen to protect us from customers. We had to wash the screens down every lunchtime and evening due to the amount of snotty coughs, sneezes and general spittyness. It was disgusting but thankfully saved all the body fluids landing on us.

Hell would freeze over before I ate uncovered food left out as it will be covered in mucus.

Also wondering if it’s the same park have noticed this at - park initials LP? Incredibly slow coffee service?! I had never given the uncovered cake a second thought but now you’ve given me the ick! I think my desire for lemon drizzle will allow me to power through the disgust though 😄

I don't like uncovered food. There's a food market nearby where a stall displays bread & cakes right by where cars queue for the traffic lights. They look delicious, but no thanks.

I'm not sure how people manage to fart on countertop cakes though.

I wouldn't buy covered or uncovered cakes but why the need to report them?

And Morrisons and Sainsbury’s

I feel like I should be able to go into a cafe to buy food that has been kept to a particular hygiene standard.

The cafe is sometimes the one thing that can make the park enjoyable for me and I can't even buy a cake

What do you expect to actually happen if you report them though? They aren’t breaking any rules, this is a pretty common practice.

@KnickerlessParsons and if someone were to eat me I'm sure they'd prefer if I was clean. The problem is you can't clean these cakes before eating.

Would you eat food covered in mud if you wasn't going to get ill from it?

I would be angry and cakes being uncovered.... people coughing and sneezing and pollution as others have said will transfer on to them.
Having said that, I remember Dr. Christian Jessen saying that it wasn't possible that farts emitted poo particles.

Agree completely OP

Food having pathogens landing on it is different from us breathing them in. We have a well-developed system of mucus, cilia and stomach acid to cope with airborne particles (including microscopic poo dust, especially when dogs are admitted - but that's another story).

Bacteria that land on uncovered food will be nourished and thrive in the hours prior to consumption. Remember they double in number every time they divide.

People think that there's no problem with this and some believe in the mythical 'hygiene hypothesis', which is vastly overestimated as a useful phenomenon. In reality, pathogens can contribute to illness and chronic inflammation in many individuals. It's not worth the risk.

I rarely eat food in cafes or restaurants, which is sad because I love a slice of well made cake.

I was just reading about him yesterday. Thoroughly unpleasant character.

Well, I wouldn't report, but I'd certainly not be buying anything uncovered, so would probably go elsewhere.

YANBU

Our local cafe keep uncovered cakes on the counter but these are just display cakes that go in the freezer every night. When someone orders one they get a fresh one that is stored in the kitchen.

I couldn't get worked up about particles in the air.

I don't like the thought of them being touched, coughed or sneezed on or going stale though.

It's really not hard to have covers for food, they should know better.

I only buy my fruit and veg from the big 3 supermarkets.

How do poo particles escape trousers?!

Umm… call me Captain Obvious but you can do all of these things…just not at this particular cafe.

Isn’t that the great thing about the free market system, you can choose under which conditions you purchase a product, the seller gets to choose the conditions they sell their product. They are choosing not to sell to you and you are choosing not to buy from them.

@saltinesandcoffeecups we can't just set up shop however and whenever we want. That's why we have so many regulatory bodies

That is the weirdest response!😂😂😜

I have a little coffee and cake kiosk. All my cakes are in a display stand that is covered. To keep flies off, keep them fresher and stop people touching them. I’d not dream of having them in the open.

It would appear this is not a regulatory issue so your point is not valid.

I agree with you op.

I once saw a woman sneeze openly all over an entire table of uncovered cakes in my local garden centre. I saw the spray from her nose and mouth land on the cakes .
She laughed out loud. Her daughter told her she was disgusting doing that and then together they promptly walked off.

It was disgusting 🤢

Cakes need to be covered.

The cafe is still in business (for now). Lots of patrons are clearly happy with their products and service. If you don't like it, don't buy from there, but don't ruin people's livelihoods by going out of your way to 'report'. The bad publicity could close the place down, is that what you want?

I have just realised that M&S don't cover their buns but people using tongs we hope put them into bags provided. Though they are usually high up but they would be at mouth level. I sanitise my hands then take bag and use tongs to put in bag. Also they no longer put their artisan loaves in bags. Just a paper wrapper around the middle. They are quite low down and I sometimes wonder if people have lifted one and then changed their mind and put it back.
Never a child having a feel.

YANBU. It always puts me off. I can remember seeing flies on the uncovered cakes in Booths once 🤢