Americans brace for ‘smart watch ban’ as Texas Roadhouse rolls out strict restaurant safety policy

TEXAS Roadhouse is enforcing a strict smart watch policy as tough rules sweep restaurants across America.

The steakhouse chain is among businesses warning kitchen staff not to wear smart watches or fitness trackers while preparing food.

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Texas Roadhouse is enforcing a strict smart watch policy for kitchen staff Credit: Alamy

Smart watches and fitness trackers are prohibited as they pose physical and biological hazards, potentially contaminating food Credit: Getty

The FDA’s updated 2022 Food Code generally advises against food handlers wearing jewelry on their hands or arms while working with exposed food, including smart watches and fitness trackers.

The items are discouraged because they can act as physical hazards if they fall into food.

They are also deemed biological hazards because they can harbor food particles and germs, which can easily spread around.

The rules apply to both analog and digital watches because they can interfere with proper handwashing and may even break or fall into meals.

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Food safety guidance says smart watches have “crevices, bands, and moving parts that trap food particles and bacteria.”

In most US kitchens, workers are only allowed to wear a plain weding band while handling food.

It comes as Texas Roadhouse tightens safety standards under the FDA’s updated 2022 Food Code.

The restaurant chain is among businesses affected by the stricter rules, which are now fully in force in Colorado, Connecticut, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Utah.

The updated standards require kitchen staff to wear hair restraints including hair nets, chef hats, bouffant caps or headwraps to stop contamination.

Workers with facial hair must also wear beard nets or snoods if their beards could contaminate food, equipment or utensils.

The FDA says hair restraints “must be designed and worn to effectively keep hair from contacting exposed food and food-contact surfaces.”

The crackdown is part of a wider push toward what regulators call “Active Managerial Control,” replacing the old system where managers could decide their own hygiene standards.

Food safety officials say the tougher guidance is aimed at reducing foodborne illness and creating “consistent, science-based safety standards” nationwide.

Several more states, including Indiana, New York and Vermont, are now moving toward adopting the updated code.

The rules apply to both analog and digital watches because they can interfere with proper handwashing and may even break or fall into meals Credit: Alamy