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The food safety risks of disposable gloves are addressed in the July 2024 issue of the International Association of Food Protection’s Journal of Food Protection . The Journal highlights scientific reports of hazardous chemical and pathogenic glove contamination with the potential to contaminate food. It illustrates how new and unused disposable gloves, even when they meet FDA compliance standards, can be sources of contamination.

Gloves are essential food safety equipment used by millions of people daily. Yet, glove contamination is a massive blind spot in public health, and this publication shows it is in grave need of attention. The Journal article highlights that glove manufacturing is loosely regulated with inadequate quality controls or verification of product quality, safety, and performance standards.



This can result in low-cost and unsanitary glove manufacturing conditions and the use of cheap and unsafe chemicals. In collaboration with Eagle Protect, the analysis from the B. Michaels Group consultant microbiologists highlights the need for more rigorous glove testing and validation to ensure gloves meet the highest safety standards before use.

It emphasizes the importance of incorporating rigorous glove safety measures into HACCP and FSMA programs to avoid contamination incidents. Human fecal indicator organisms, strains of Bacillus cereus and B. anthracis, as well as other known pathogens, including Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridioides difficile, Staphylococcus .

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