Get the Right Fit: Glove size is important for safety and comfort. Select the right size for your hand—from small to extra large. Use gloves for designated food tasks only. Disposable gloves are task-specific and should never be worn continuously. Food contact gloves should not be used for non-food tasks such as handling money, garbage removal, cleaning surfaces, etc. The FDA code mandates no bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods; therefore, use gloves with salad bar items, fruits, sandwiches, cooked foods, deli meats, cheeses, breads or ice. Use vinyl, synthetic or latex gloves when handling food near a heat source cooking area, rather than poly gloves, which are not resistant to heat.  Non-latex gloves are recommended for food workers, to help avoid possible latex allergic reactions.

There are several decisions you’ll have to make first: What is the task? Where is the task being done? How long will the task take? Here are some suggestions:

POLY: Low-cost, loose-fitting gloves for light tasks that require changing gloves often.

Task: Regular Poly: Making sandwiches, bagging bagels, plate garnishing, pizza or taco preparation, silverware wrapping, filling ice buckets, food sampling, display case set-up or breakdown.

Task: Elbow-Length Poly: Mixing large containers of salad, breading chicken, bakery dough handling, reaching into deep food containers, emptying, cleaning, and re-assembling softserve ice milk machine. Do not use at heat source cooking areas—grill, fryer, broiler, oven. 

VINYL: More durable, closer-fitting gloves for food processing and medium-duty food tasks requiring good dexterity and/or sensitivity; latex-free and appropriate for use near heat source.

Task: Regular Vinyl: Handling sliced cheese, grill line plating area, breakfast grill, cracking eggs, fresh squeezed juice prep, prep of cream-filled pies, pizzas, salads, tacos, ready-to-eat meats such as ham and tuna.

Task: Blue Vinyl: Seafood prep, sushi prep, peeling or dispensing shrimp, raw meat cutting, trimming produce, handling bone-in hams or smoked chops, meat grinder area, vacuum packaging area. Blue Vinyl gloves (color-coded to avoid cross-contamination, especially when handling raw meats and seafood). Avoid cross-contamination by changing gloves after handling raw meats, poultry and seafood. 

LATEX: Ultra-formfitting gloves for tasks requiring ultimate dexterity. Use for delicate work requiring fingertip sensitivity.

Task: Handling, slicing, prep, mixture of ready-to-eat foods, cheese slicing area, grill line plating area, breakfast grill, cracking eggs, cake decorating, dough handling, plate garnishing, preparation of appetizer or veggie platters, vacuum packaging area. In case of a latex allergy consult a physician and use vinyl, nitrile, synthetic or poly gloves when handling ready-to-eat foods.

SYNTHETIC:  Formfitting gloves for tasks requiring flexibility and dexterity. Use for delicate work requiring fingertip sensitivity. Feels and acts like latex. Ideal for latex sensitive workers.

Task: Handling, slicing, prep, mixture of ready-to-eat foods, slicer area of cheese, grill line plating area, breakfast grill, cracking eggs, cake decorating, dough handling, plate garnishing, preparation of appetizer or veggie platters, vacuum packaging area.

NITRILE: Synthetic disposable gloves for specific tasks requiring good puncture resistance and a high level of dexterity.

Task: Intricate garnishing, handling delicate foods, sushi preparation, de-boning meats, handling hot peppers or shellfish. Use in meat preparation area as this material is very resistant to breaking down when in contact with animal fats. Nitrile is a synthetic material resistant to snags, abrasions or tears. 

GLOVE USE IN ITSELF DOES NOT GUARANTEE FOOD SAFETY. ALWAYS WASH HANDS BEFORE AND AFTER USING DISPOSABLE GLOVES.