January 19, 2023
Food safety is a critical health hazard across the nation. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that foodborne contamination causes 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.
You might be surprised to learn that there’s no federal law mandating the use of gloves for food handlers, only recommendations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, the FDA Food Code offers detailed uniform standards for best practices, and each state is responsible for its own laws and guidelines.
For example, here in Wisconsin, state law does not require food handler gloves except under certain circumstances:
However, the law does say that before putting on gloves to work with food, food handlers must wash their hands, and you must wash your hands between changing gloves. The law is quite specific about proper hand washing:
This procedure also applies to prosthetic devices.
Frequent, proper handwashing, coupled with disposable gloves, is the most effective way to keep your food safe, your customers happy and healthy, and those good reviews rolling in.
There are four types of disposable food handler gloves typically used in food service: Latex Gloves, nitrile gloves, poly gloves, and vinyl gloves. Each has pros and cons.
Latex gloves, made from natural rubber, offer the most tactile sensitivity, and their stretch enhances manual dexterity, making them the most versatile choice. However, latex allergies are common.
Versatile, durable nitrile gloves for food handling are made from a synthetic rubber copolymer. They are heat-resistant and won’t degrade from citrus oils and fatty meats, making them ideal for many food prep applications.
Food handler poly gloves, made from polyethylene materials, are the cheapest food service-grade glove option. They have a loose fit and are easy to pull on and off, so they’re suitable for light tasks and frequent changes.
Made from PVC, vinyl gloves are food safe and suitable for cheap, basic sanitation. However, they offer less protection than latex and nitrile and should be used only for short-term use.
Wondering how to choose a glove type for your employees? Take a look at the tasks that they will need to perform. Poly gloves, for example, are perfect for deli workers who don’t handle raw meats but need to change gloves often. On the other hand, people working with raw meat need thicker, more durable gloves, like nitrile gloves for food handling (3-millimeter thickness).
Perversely, wearing gloves can foster a false sense of security. Since their hands feel clean and dry, workers may think their gloves are sanitary when they are not. Here are ten training tips to help ensure food service workers use safe food handling practices.
1. Frequent hand washing is crucial to avoid cross-contamination. Wash hands thoroughly before donning gloves and between changing gloves.
2. When you change tasks, wash your hands and wear new gloves.
3. Allergies to natural rubber latex gloves are common and range from mild to life-threatening. Mild reactions include itching, skin redness, and hives or rash.
4. Always wear different gloves to handle meats and vegetables.
5. Wear the right size gloves. Disposable gloves come in various sizes, and proper fit is essential for tactile control.
6. Don’t wash or reuse disposable gloves.
7. Don’t blow into gloves to make them easier to slip on.
8. Always wear gloves if you have a cut, burn, or abrasion on your hands or wrist, even if a waterproof bandage covers it.
9. Always wear gloves when handling ready-to-eat foods or foods consumed without washing or cooking, such as salads, cold cuts, fruits, and vegetables.
10. Remove gloves, wash hands, and put on new gloves every time:
Norovirus is the most common foodborne illness, with 5,461,731 unpleasant cases recorded yearly. It’s commonly spread through contaminated food when “an infected person touches food with their bare hands that have feces (poop) or vomit particles on them.”
In an outbreak, the cost to your business could run into the millions. In 2018, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers estimated that the cost of an outbreak could range between $4,000 for a small outbreak involving five people getting sick, and nearly $2 million for an outbreak involving 250 people, counting lawsuits, lost business, and fines.
Food recalls cost even more. While the company’s size and amount of product units recalled determine the end cost, the average cost of a food recall is estimated to be around $10 million.
That’s why proper hand washing and food handler gloves stand between your food service business and an unpredictable health crisis with the potential to ruin your business. It’s also why you should consider making proper use of gloves a condition of employment for your food service workers, no matter where your business is located.
If you have any questions on PE Gloves. We will give the professional answers to your questions.