The 5 Best Sneeze Guards
If you run a restaurant with a buffet you're likely required by law to protect food from contamination using a sneeze guard.
There are a variety of high-quality sneeze guards on the market today, available in different sizes, for you to select from.
Let's take a look at the best-selling models available for online purchase.
Sneeze Guards Compared
- .25" THICK CLEAR ACRYLIC - Fully transparent so there is no interference with visibility or interaction.
- SMALL 1.5" TALL PASS THROUGH - Perfect for paperwork, credit cards, room keys, etc.
- Sneeze and cough barrier – very effective against droplets from sneezing or coughing.
- Impact resistant – made of 1/8” thick acrylic, this shield is highly impact and shatter resistant.
- 3/16" CRYSTAL CLEAR: Made with high-quality plexiglass material. Looks great! Just peel plastic off both sides to reveal material!
- VERSITILE: Great for sales and service counters. Custom sizing available upon request.
- PORTABLE SNEEZE GUARD - Kaitiaki desk shield guard product was an easy setup, a good size to protect 1 person without obnoxiously blocking the whole counter. The base is made out of the thick white PVC stand, sturdy and professional. There is a rectangular pass-through slot at the bottom of each Guard's front panel. 10" x 4.7" available. * Product requires no tools for assembly
- MADE OF POLYCARBONATE - Each barrier is crafted using a 1/5” thick polycarbonate sheet that’s 250 times stronger than glass and twenty-five times stronger than acrylic. Every product comes with a wrapper around the glass to ensure zero scratches.
- PORTABLE SNEEZE GUARD - Kaitiaki desk shield guard product was an easy setup, a good size to protect 1 person without obnoxiously blocking the whole counter. The base is made out of the thick white PVC stand, sturdy and professional. There is a rectangular pass-through slot at the bottom of each Guard's front panel. 10" x 4.7" available. * Product requires no tools for assembly
- THICKER MATERIAL - The acrylic panel is made of 1/5 inch (5mm) thick high-quality acrylic, much thicker than other products such as 1/8 inch (3mm). Every product comes with a wrapper around the glass to ensure zero scratches.
Controlling Germs In Restaurants
Product Development
Sneeze guards may seem like ubiquitous elements at the buffet line, but they haven't always been with us. In fact it was only in the 1950s that sneeze guards came into being. Originally known as food service tables, initial designs were intended to guard food from being inundated with germs and bacteria spread by sneezing.
Back in the late 1950s these weren't required by law, but now most self-service food buffet locations are required to have them installed. If you can imagine, before sneeze guards people would often smell buffet foods, placing their faces so close to chicken, pasta fish that they contaminated them with illnesses they were carrying.
| 2 Popular Ooptions | Sneeze Guard | Price | Dimensions | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
  | The Carlisle Acrylic Single Sided Sneeze Guard with Aluminum Frame | $ | 48 x 12.19 x 26.5 inches | 19 pounds |
  | The Brushed Stainless Style Slimline Series Sneeze Guard | $ | N/A | N/A |
Modern hygienic standards were relatively unknown back then- and we can all thank Johnny Garneau who invented sneeze guards. When purchasing a sneeze guard, you'll discover that there are a variety of different sizes and configurations, including custom-designed sneeze guards to fit any space or location.
Final thoughts
If you are looking for a sneeze guard that will simply protect your buffet area, it's likely you can find a tabletop sneeze guard that will be portable, easily assembled and pretty effective for what you need it to do. Some sneeze guards will protect one side of the buffet while others can provide effective food contamination protection in a dual format.
Most sneeze guards will include a resin shield made out of transparent acrylic that is shatter-resistant and suitable for cleaners that are non-abrasive. Do your research and make sure you know what the warranty information is in case you need to return your sneeze guard!
