Are Nitrile Gloves Food Safe?

When choosing gloves for food handling, it’s not just about protecting food from direct contact with your hands—it’s also crucial to ensure that no harmful materials from the gloves can transfer to the food. Nitrile gloves, one of the most popular types of disposable gloves, are an excellent choice for this purpose. The short answer is yes: nitrile gloves are not just safe for food handling—they’re among the best options available.

Nitrile is a food-safe material, but for added assurance, we recommend selecting gloves tested to the European standard EN1186. This certification guarantees that the gloves meet the necessary safety standards for food contact.

While washing your hands is effective in maintaining hygiene, pairing it with disposable gloves offers an additional layer of protection. Nitrile gloves prove especially useful in scenarios where you switch between handling money and food. Handling money can introduce contaminants, but with disposable gloves, you can simply change to a fresh pair, minimizing the risk of cross-contamination.

Although some chefs and cooks prefer working without gloves, using disposable nitrile gloves can significantly enhance kitchen cleanliness. For example, if you use a cut-resistant glove while working with knives, wearing a nitrile glove over it can help keep the cut-resistant glove clean and reduce the need for frequent cleaning or replacement—without compromising safety.

For those concerned about allergies, nitrile gloves are a great choice. Although extremely rare, nitrile allergies do exist. However, nitrile is far less likely to cause allergic reactions compared to materials like latex, making it ideal for workplaces with a large team or individuals with sensitive skin.

Whether you’re plating gourmet dishes in a high-end restaurant or serving burgers from a food truck, maintaining food hygiene is non-negotiable. Nitrile gloves offer the perfect balance of affordability, convenience, and reliability. They effectively protect against germs and bacteria, allowing you to keep your focus where it belongs—on the food.

Our recommended food safe glove is either our Premium Blue Nitrile Gloves or Premium Black Nitrile Gloves