California Bans Latex Gloves in Food Manufacturing

Bill SB-677

If you’re manufacturing, serving, or handling food in the Sate of California then you should be using either a nitrile glove, vinyl gloves, or anything other than Latex. In September of 2019 Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Bill SB-677 which says in simple terms:

(g) The use of latex gloves is prohibited in food facilities and retail food establishments. Types of nonlatex gloves that may be used in a food facility or retail food establishment include, but are not limited to, nitrile, polyethylene, and vinyl.

This is a similar ban on latex gloves put in place by Ohio, Arizona, Hawaii, Rhoda Island, Connecticut, Oregon, etc. The current ban went into effect on January 1, 2020 while other states continue to push forward their own latex bans.

What’s wrong with Latex?

I have to thank George Clooney for teaching me about the existence of the dangers of latex. In 1997, on his hit TV show E.R. one of the Doctors was sweating profusely, his hands were shaking while he was operating, and the other Doctor’s only noticed something was wrong when his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he went into anaphylaxis shock. Dr. Ross (Clooney) ran through a number of questions trying to discover the source of his sudden collapse. Did he eat something? Did he have a history of epilepsy? Was he accidentally exposed to some kind of pill that he was allergic to? They had nothing. They couldn’t find the source. And then he went to take his pulse and he had to remove his gloves to discover a his hands were bright red like a strawberry (they might have even used strawberry juice to get that color). The Doctor was having an allergic reaction to his latex gloves.

It seems a little ridiculous now, but latex allergies do exist. In fact, 1 in every 20 Americans has a latex sensitivity. When your immune system comes into contact with latex it identifies certain allergens within the material as a threat and it then creates antibodies. So the next time you’re exposed to it (either through inhaling it or through direct touch) your immune system goes into action and releases histamines and other measures that set off an allergic reaction. The common symptoms of which we are well aware of like: Sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, difficulty breather, wheezing, coughing, and if you’re not careful, anaphylaxis shock (thank you Dr Ross).

What’s worse is that the allergies can develop over time. Healthcare and foodservice works who were seemingly fine for many years will slowly develop their allergies to the material. As the awareness of these allergies has risen, so have the voices demanding their removal from widespread use.

The Perfect Glove for the Food Industry

We have been lucky enough to partner with one of the premier innovators in Glove Manufacturing, and we’re finally able to bring you not only a Nitrile Glove that avoids all of the health issues associated with Latex, but a glove that is also Detectable by your current food inspection systems.

We’re proud that we’re able to provide to you a glove that is tailor made for your needs. It’s 5 Mil thick making it plenty strong. It has textured fingertips so that you can maintain your grip in wet and oily environments. It’s made of food grade materials allowing for direct food contact when needed. More than that they’re dexterous, they’re durable, and of course, they’re detectable.

You don’t have to take our word on it. Send us a request to Service@BlueSupplyCompany.com and get a complimentary sample.

Thank you for reading. 

Sincerely

Blue Supply Company – Your source for all things detectable