How to Choose the Right Gloves for Food Processing

Gloves can be a valuable safety measure for businesses that work with food - preventing direct hand contact with consumables and therefore helping to reduce contamination risks.

But workers can’t wear just any gloves. Wearing the wrong gloves or using them incorrectly can actually be worse than bare hands.

Here, we’ll walk you through how to choose the right gloves for food processing - from key considerations to what the law says, and how to tell if gloves are truly food safe

Do You Have to Wear Gloves When Handling Food in the UK?

In the UK, you don’t legally have to wear gloves when handling food.

However, food businesses must ensure that food is handled safely and hygienically.

Gloves are one way to help achieve this, alongside measures like:

• Washing hands frequently
• Using barriers like utensils or tongs
• Changing gloves regularly to prevent contamination
• Avoiding direct hand contact with ready-to-eat (RTE) food

If using gloves, it’s important to use them properly – otherwise, they can actually become a source of contamination instead of a way of preventing it.

Best practices include:

• Changing gloves after every task
• Washing hands before putting on gloves
• Changing gloves after touching surfaces, money, or personal items
• Washing hands after removing gloves and before putting on a new pair

EN STANDARDS AND HOW TO TELL IF GLOVES ARE FOOD SAFE

When choosing gloves for food processing, look for products tested to the correct standards.

Key standards to check:

• EN ISO 21420 / EN 420 - General glove requirements
  Ensures gloves are safe, comfortable, and appropriately sized. Applies to most PPE gloves.
• EN 374 - Chemical and micro-organism resistance
  Optional for food environments where gloves may contact chemicals or high-risk surfaces.
• EN 455 - Medical/disposable glove standards
  Covers disposable gloves, including quality, strength, and hygiene. Often used alongside EN 1186 for food handling.
• EN 1186 - Food contact safety
  Confirms gloves are safe for direct contact with food and won’t transfer harmful substances. Look for the glass and fork symbol on packaging.

What Type of Glove Should be Used for Food Handling?

Gloves must be food-grade certified, durable, resistant to bacteria, and powder-free to prevent contamination.

In the UK, most food safety gloves are disposable and made from nitrile, latex, or vinyl. 

The best choice depends on the type of food and tasks being carried out.

Not sure which disposable glove type is best for your site?
Read our blog on how to choose!

How to Select the Right Gloves for Food Processing

There are lots of different factors to consider when choosing gloves for food processing.

Here are the main considerations.

1. YOUR WORK AND RISK LEVEL

Every workplace is different and tasks and risk levels vary.

Vinyl gloves, for example, are not ideal for handling oils, fats, or fatty meats.

2. MATERIAL

Food-safe gloves in the UK are usually made from nitrile, vinyl, or latex, although some are also made from polyethylene.

While nitrile is generally the preferred material for food handling, each has its pros and cons:

NITRILE

Nitrile is a favourite in food processing due to its durability, resistance to chemicals, and versatility. However, it’s more expensive than other options and not as elastic as latex.

USE FOR: Tasks that need a strong barrier, such as handling oils and fats.

VINYL

Vinyl gloves are inexpensive and easy to get on and off, due to their loose fit. Just bear in mind that they offer a weaker barrier and are also prone to leaks and tears. Plus, they’re less tactile than other materials.

USE FOR: Light food prep tasks that are short in duration.

LATEX

Latex gloves offer a strong barrier and are extremely comfortable and tactile, thanks to their incredible elasticity. On the downside, latex allergies are common. This material also offers less chemical resistance than nitrile.

USE FOR: Food prep tasks that call for dexterity where allergies aren’t a factor.

POLYETHYLENE

Polyethylene gloves are very cheap and easy to get on and off, thanks to their loose fit. That said, they rip easily and don’t offer much protection compared to other options.

USE FOR: Basic food handling tasks where frequent glove changes are needed.

COMPARING THE DIFFERENT GLOVE TYPES

Use this handy graph to find the right glove type for your team:

QUALITY

Look for gloves that will be able to perform well under the conditions in your workplace.

For example, consider:

• How strong are they?
• How resistant are they to degradation?
• How well do they grip in wet or oily environments?
• What’s the breakthrough time and permeation rate? (Measures of how quickly a chemical can pass through the glove)

COMFORT

PPE has to be comfortable as well as provide protection.

To make gloves more comfortable for workers, look for features like:

• Beaded cuffs
• Easy to get on and off
• Textured palms and fingertips
• Latex-free (for those with allergies)

BUDGET

Budget is an important factor for any business. However, it’s important to balance budget with quality.

While high-quality gloves can be more expensive, in the right environment, they can boost productivity as well as safety.

COLOUR

The colour of your food-grade gloves isn’t just about aesthetics. It can also help to enhance safety in the workplace.

Food handling gloves are often blue because this is a colour that doesn’t occur naturally in many foods. Colour-coding gloves for different zones can further reduce cross-contamination risk.

SUSTAINABILITY

Businesses that care deeply about sustainability may want to choose food handling gloves with eco-friendliness in mind.

While it is possible to find reusable food-grade gloves, disposable gloves are generally seen as safer and more practical when it comes to food handling. 

Biodegradable options, such as carbon neutral biodegradable nitrile gloves, are available at SMI.

Plus. our recycling scheme helps ensure single-use gloves don’t end up in landfill.

Need Help Stocking Up on the Right Gloves for Food Processing?

At SMI, we stock a wide range of food-safe disposable gloves, as well as other disposable clothing that can be helpful for food processing, like hairnets and aprons.

Here's how we make sourcing your PPE simple:

• 97% stock availability
• Max 3-hour response time
• 5PM order cut-off for next-day delivery

Browse our shop to find the food processing PPE you need, all in one place.

Not sure what you need? Talk to our friendly team!