has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after being hit with a wave of sexual misconduct allegations, which he denies.
His lawyers say “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”, while celebrities like , Kirsty Wark and have made claims against the mogul.
Fans discovered a resurfaced video of late comedian Sean Lock claiming Gregg “shouldn’t be a national treasure”, pointing out the chef’s tendency to wear hairnets while on location in factories, despite being bald.
Lock said on 8 Out of 10 Cats: “Gregg came close because I like him because he wears a hairnet even though he’s bald. He goes to a crisp factory, and puts on a hairnet. What, is he worried some baldness will get in the crisps?”
Now fans have been questioning why it is Gregg does wear a hairnet, with one user begging: “Why is Gregg Wallace wearing a hairnet when he has no hair????”
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There’s a reason Gregg Wallace wears a hairnet (Image: BBC)
Plenty of fans chimed in with their own theories, with some suggesting it’s simply regulation in the factory to “prevent arguments”. One user answered: “Standard process. If you mandate everyone must wear them you prevent arguments about but it’s only a couple of mm long.
“Similar area as beard nets – if you’re not completely clean shaven, wear them. It makes it easier on the people that have to enforce it if there’s no wiggle room.”
Someone else said: “Those are sometimes called ‘mob caps’ in the industry and can serve to also signify position/department e.g. hygiene, manager, first aider etc. The hairnet goes underneath and is more of a mesh than the thin cotton mob cap.”
Gregg Wallace dons a hairnet while inside food factories (Image: BBC)
And another factory worker said: “You have to have your ears covered too.”
There is, however, a more scientific explanation. According to research from the University of Bolton, the pathogen Staphylococcus Aureus is “commonly found on the skin, especially the scalp”.
Hairnets help to prevent cross-contamination in factories. According to Aburnet: “Bacteria on the scalp is not the only reason why a bald or person with little hair should wear a covering. Often, although people appear to be bald, many just have very short hair that could still fall out.”