Can Coloured Gloves Prevent a Food Recall?

Black? Blue? Green? Or maybe even orange?

Disposable gloves come in a variety of colours, but have you ever wondered why? Do the different colours signify where they are suitable for use? There are actually two common reasons for the colour choices of protective gloves used in food handling.

1. Increased Visibility of Torn Glove Fragments in Food

When disposable gloves used in food processing rip or tear, bits of the glove can contaminate the food. Pieces of material in contrasting colours are more likely to be spotted during processing, allowing the problem to be addressed before packaging is completed and a potential recall occurs.

Blue is a popular glove colour in food processing areas because it is not typically found in food products. When choosing glove colours, consider the colour of the product, equipment, and surrounding area. Ideally, a contrasting colour that stands out visually should be used in that specific area.

2. Visual Identification of Areas, Departments, or Tasks

We’ve noticed this food safety practice becoming more widespread. Food processors use different coloured disposable gloves to indicate various processing areas, departments, specific staff, or particular tasks. This method allows the company to visually colour code areas and quickly identify the source if a glove failure occurs during a root cause analysis.

Colour coding provides a quick visual reference to help monitor and ensure that food safety programmes are being followed correctly. For instance, one of our clients uses blue gloves for food processing, black for sanitation, green for packaging, and white in their laboratory. The different coloured gloves help quality assurance and operations managers prevent cross-contamination and quickly identify areas with glove issues. For example, in this case, staff with black gloves should not handle food products, and only blue gloves should be used on the processing floor. If a black glove fragment is found as a foreign material in the product, it narrows down the root cause analysis to the sanitation department, identifying the cause of the glove failure and determining if the correct glove is being used (considering quality, durability, and thickness) and if it is being used properly.

There is no standard practice for which glove colours should be used in different departments. This decision is generally based on a combination of factors:

• Departmental Colours: Some departments have pre-determined colours. For example, the allergen department might use green smocks and hats and therefore require green gloves.
• Contrast: As mentioned earlier, choosing colours that contrast with the product or equipment increases visibility. For example, if a company processes beef on a blue conveyor belt, a blue or red glove would not be the safest option.
• Supplier Options: After identifying a glove that works well in a department, the available colour options can be a limiting factor. Not every glove is available in every colour. If your preferred glove colour isn’t available, ask the supplier if they can provide it. At Eagle, we offer custom glove colours even if they are not part of our standard product range, as long as the order quantity is sufficient. We often order custom glove shipments for companies and distributors, allowing them to specify the colour, thickness, texture, and packaging.

Food recalls often cite “equipment failure” as the reason, which can include contamination with rubber. Although not always the cause, we often wonder if companies involved in recalls were using low-quality food handling gloves. Cheap “food grade” disposable gloves tend to fail more often, increasing the risk of glove pieces contaminating food during processing. Read more about why disposable gloves with higher failure rates pose food safety risks.

With 18,000 staphylococci shown to pass through a single glove hole in 20 minutes, gloves with high failure rates present significant contamination risks. Learn more about the top six hazards of cheap disposable gloves and their impact on food safety.

A food recall can cost a company $10M in direct costs, excluding brand damage and lost sales. Why risk using cheap gloves?

Click below to view our collection of ethically sourced, high-quality disposable nitrile gloves. All Eagle Protect gloves exceed examination grade standards with an AQL of 1.5.