We've busted the top five disposable glove myths that we seem to come across. 

1. ALL GLOVES ARE CREATED EQUAL

This can’t be further from the truth. For simplicity’s sake, the major differences in protective gloves are the material they are made of, the quality of this material, and the manufacturing processes undertaken. Here is our disposable glove buying guide to help simplify the selection process.

Glove Material:
We recommend nitrile gloves for food handling unless it is brief contact when handling ready-to-eat foods, in which case another glove type such as polyethylene may be more appropriate. The glove’s ingredients matter as they can contain harmful chemicals as well as irritate workers skin.

We do not recommend using vinyl disposable gloves. Read why we discontinued supplying vinyl gloves due to food safety risks.

Glove Quality:
The quality of a glove directly correlates to its strength and durability. Price is not an adequate indicator of the glove’s food handling quality. Here is a simple test to estimate the quality of your protective gloves. Read our post on how disposable glove quality directly affects your workers.

2. A THICKER GLOVE IS STRONGER

When buying disposable nitrile gloves it’s easy to have the misconception that a thicker glove will provide extra strength and better protection. Thick gloves can be deceiving and give you a false sense of security if manufactured from cheap raw materials. Glove strength is highly proportional to the quality of raw materials. Read Do Thicker Gloves Improve Food Safety for more details.

3. ALL DISPOSABLE GLOVES ARE CLEAN

Factory conditions play a major role in the cleanliness of food handling gloves. One of the many common shortcuts in low-cost manufacturing is the reduction of wash tank clean-out or water quality. This leads to a longer build-up of microbial and chemical loading, with glove user and food contact consequences.

It is vital that gloves are made in a clean factory as contamination can start during manufacturing.

4. CHEAP GLOVES SAVE YOU MONEY

Cheaper gloves don’t necessarily save you money. The quality of materials, durability and failure rates need to be accounted for. If a glove rips frequently it sacrifices food safety, requires re-gloving and increases glove use. You may be spending more money in the long run to purchase a higher quantity of cheaper gloves. Our Do Cheap Gloves Save You Money post dives further into the details.

5. ALL GLOVES RIP WITH NORMAL USE

Disposable gloves should not rip during normal use. Quality ingredients and manufacturing procedures produce higher quality gloves. As a result, higher-quality gloves are more durable with increased strength and elasticity. Read What Happens When Gloves Fail to understand beyond the financial implications, why ripping gloves can be a food safety hazard.

There are a lot of options when selecting the best food-safe glove. Click below for a glove comparison chart that makes it easy to understand the best glove for your needs.