Selecting the Best Disposable Gloves for Food Handling Operations

Gloves are essential for maintaining hygiene and preventing cross-contamination. A single outbreak due to improper glove use could cost an operation millions in damages and lost reputation. To prevent this, operations need to have in place standard operating procedures (SOPs) that clearly describe what, who, and how to use gloves; glove specifications; and glove supplier standards.

While many guidance documents exist to help processors develop SOPs, this article focuses on glove specifications and supplier standards to help food safety and quality assurance professionals select the best disposable gloves for food handling

SPECIFICATIONS.

Glove specifications should focus on material, thickness/durability, fit and resistance to chemicals. Common raw materials used to produce gloves include natural rubber latex (latex), nitrile butadiene rubber (nitrile) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Nitrile gloves are preferred in most operations due to their superior durability, as they are highly resistant to punctures and tears.

The best disposable gloves for food handling should fit snugly and be comfortable to wear. Gloves that are too tight, too loose or made of stiff material can increase the risk of injury or illness. Additionally, gloves need to be resistant to a wide range of chemicals, including oil, grease and certain solvents.

Importantly, not all materials used to construct gloves are compatible with the sanitizers used in operations. Using a glove that is incompatible with your sanitizers could lead to glove degradation, compromising glove integrity (e.g., creating holes or leaks) and possibly leading to occupational safety hazards for workers.

Lastly, gloves should be powder-free. Powdered gloves usually contain cornstarch, talcum powder, calcium carbonate or lactose. The powder is applied to facilitate putting them on and taking them off. However, powdered gloves have been reported to cause adverse reactions in users, such as allergic responses and airway inflammation.

A single outbreak due to improper glove use could cost an operation millions in damages and lost reputation.

SUPPLIERS.

Gloves are often treated as a simple consumable, leading to a lack of validation or verification of their safe and acceptable performance. Reports of contamination, toxicity, illness, deaths and related regulatory actions have been linked to contaminated gloves in both food and healthcare industries, highlighting systemic shortcomings in the glove industry. Glove manufacturing is loosely regulated, with inadequate quality controls or verification of product quality, safety and performance standards. This can result in low-cost, unsanitary manufacturing conditions and the use of cheap and unsafe chemicals.

Experts agree that more rigorous glove testing and validation are necessary to ensure gloves meet the highest safety standards before use. Enhanced regulatory requirements are needed for acceptable quality limits of food-grade gloves. Potentially unsafe ingredients used during glove manufacturing can introduce chemical contaminants, posing risks to food and glove users. Hazardous chemicals used in glove production, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), have been detected. Gloves have also been identified as sources of potentially toxic chemicals that can be introduced into food and cause worker dermal problems via the solubilization of glove chemicals inside the glove via sweat. The longer a worker wears their gloves, the more likely there will be a problem.

Microbial hazards can also be introduced during glove manufacturing via polluted water sources or flawed manufacturing processes. Pathogens such as Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridioides difficile and Staphylococcus aureus have been detected on new and unused disposable gloves. Given all of this, more attention needs to be paid to selecting glove suppliers when choosing the best disposable gloves for food handling.

Consider the following:

• Ensure the supplier has strict quality control measures in place, testing for durability, chemical resistance and overall performance.
• Confirm that gloves are made from food-safe materials that do not contain harmful chemicals. Materials should be resistant to oils, grease and antimicrobials.
• Investigate if the supplier has a history of compliance issues or recalls.
• Verify that the supplier provides transparency about its supply chain, including sourcing of raw materials and manufacturing processes.
• Compare the cost of gloves from different suppliers, but also consider the value in terms of durability, safety and compliance. Cheaper options may compromise on quality.
• Evaluate the environmental impact of the gloves and the supplier’s sustainability practices, including the use of eco-friendly materials and processes.