Vinyl Gloves for a Safer Food Service
Autor: Sara17 • February 25, 2018 • 1,231 Words (5 Pages) • 676 Views
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there are millions of Americans who are sick because of illness transmitted by food
worker’s hand every year. Lightly powdered, heavy weight (3.5 to 6.5 mils thickness)
disposable vinyl gloves are perfect for food service and food handling which last longer than
ordinary disposable gloves. “The Consumer Product Safety Commission has reviewed the safety
of vinyl toys, and the F.D.A. has reviewed the safety of vinyl medical devices, and both agencies
have found little to no concern with the vast majority of vinyl products they’ve reviewed. I think
that probably says a lot about the safety of vinyl gloves.” Allen Blakey who is a spokesman for
the Vinyl Institute said. As a matter of fact, vinyl gloves are produced from materials which fully
comply with FDA Rule 177.1950 for food contact and FDA Rule 110.10 GMP for food
handling. Meanwhile, they are compliant with FFDCA standards for use in foodservice.
Latex-free eliminates allergy concerns. Nowadays, most gloves in the market are made of latex
which is a component of natural rubber. However, allergic reactions may be caused by particles
of latex not only among workers who wear the gloves in restaurants but also among customers
who eat food prepared by them. While wearing disposal vinyl gloves, people do not need to
worry about allergy because of they are latex free. “The raw material of disposal vinyl gloves
does not contain the ingredients of plasticizer, esters and silicone oil, so they have the feature of
strong chemical resistance”iii.
Greater dexterity and comfort. User will not feel uncomfortable for long-time wearing. “The
gloves are unbreakable and resistant to puncture with strong tensile strength. They provide snug
fit capabilities and good degree of dexterity”iv.
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Provides high heat Resistance. “Vinyl are more resistant to ozone and oil than natural rubber
latex (NRL) so that they can be used around heat sources without risk of melting”iv. The heat
resistance of vinyl gloves is far greater than those of polyethylene gloves (see Table 2).
Table 2. Gloves status when new and durability with use or after being sanitized.v
Low cost. As mentioned in the graphic, the performances of disposable vinyl gloves are not the
best among various material gloves. Another strength for vinyl gloves is low cost, which ensures
the widely usage in restaurants and food service industry. The high ratio of cost/performance
guarantees lower expenditure and better service. Although nitrile gloves and PU gloves have
better performance on some aspects, their cost are much higher than disposable vinyl gloves. As
a result, vinyl gloves provides good service with much lower cost, which is most suitable for
food preparation. An industry based comparison shows the cost effectiveness of vinyl gloves (see
Table 3).
Table 3. Comparison guide for glove types used in food processing/service facilities.vi
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Closing Thoughts
Considering the facts which shows how disposable polythene gloves could pose problems in
food service, it is advised that they should be replaced with disposable vinyl gloves. Vinyl
has been considered safe by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the F.D.A. The
material used in vinyl gloves production complies with FDA rules for food contact and
handling. Also the low cost of vinyl gloves can be considered as deciding factor over
disposable polythene gloves. If the organization chooses to continue with disposable
polythene gloves, it is recommended that food handler’s dispose gloves at regular intervals.
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References:
i WebstaurantStore. Disposable Gloves. WebstaurantStore.com. Retrieved from
http://www.webstaurantstore.com/guide/514/disposable-gloves.html
ii Inteplast group, ltd.; agency reviews patent application approval request for "disposable gloves and glove material
compositions including a coloring agent". (2013). Food Weekly News, 46. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1323098085?accountid=10920
iii Dongguan Jiachuang Purification Technology Co.,Ltd (2013). Comparative Analysis of PVC gloves and other
disposable gloves. Retrieved from http://www.dgjc168.com/zh-tw/dgjc168_Article_426603.html
iv LIU Xue (2012). Energy Saving of PVC Gloves Industry. Shandong Chemical Industry. Retrieved from
http://www.cqvip.com/read/read.aspx?id=41502360
v Barry Michaels (2004). Understanding the glove risk paradigm: Part II. Food Safety Magazine. Retrieved from
http://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/magazine-archive1/augustseptember-2004/understanding-the-glove-riskparadigm-
part-ii/
vi Barry Michaels (2004). Understanding the glove risk paradigm: Part II. Food Safety Magazine. Retrieved from
http://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/magazine-archive1/augustseptember-2004/understanding-the-glove-riskparadigm-
part-ii/
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