Jump to content

  • Quick Navigation
Photo

Widespread Disposable Glove Contamination Reported

Share this

  • You cannot start a new topic
  • Please log in to reply
9 replies to this topic
- - - - -

olenazh

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,364 posts
  • 439 thanks
432
Excellent

  • Canada
    Canada
  • Gender:Female
  • Location:Toronto
  • Interests:My job, church, reading, gym, horror movies

Posted 12 December 2022 - 03:40 PM

Food Safety News article:

https://www.foodsafe...es/#more-221742

 

Need everybody's opinion: is it possible? I personally doubt it.



Kara S.

    Grade - MIFSQN

  • IFSQN Member
  • 177 posts
  • 51 thanks
96
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Female

Posted 12 December 2022 - 04:13 PM

I read this article too and yes it is possible. If the worker at the glove facility has poor GMPs it is likely the gloves could be contaminated. At one facility I worked at, we had to change glove brands because the gloves were burning our hands. Felt like a chemical burn. It happened to maybe 10 of us but we weren't sure if it was really the gloves or dry hands or just people complaining at first because it was so sporadic that it would happen. it wasn't every glove.

 

I mean, I agree to extent, i doubt the packaging goes through a form of sterilization like UV. Cardboard isn't the most sanitary anyways. If it is not glued to be air tight - is that how the mold findings were occurring in their study? was there a hole in any of the packaging noted prior to testing? How many boxes from each supplier did they use? Did they choose any that stated for use in food and beverage? were they all the same blue nitrile gloves, no powder? 

 

Overall, the study didn't provide me with enough information to want to buy their gloves. I haven't bought gloves in a while but i did see the pricing - i think its comparable. I would need more info about the study to truly decide https://eagleprotect...m-shitty-gloves


Edited by Kara S., 12 December 2022 - 04:19 PM.

Kind regards, 

 

Kara

Food & Beverage Industry Consultant

IFSQN Business ListingLinkedIn  |  Webpage

 

 


Thanked by 1 Member:

kingstudruler1

    Grade - PIFSQN

  • IFSQN Principal
  • 856 posts
  • 293 thanks
259
Excellent

  • United States
    United States

Posted 12 December 2022 - 06:21 PM

I was reading that in the airport the other day and found the article kinda inflamatory.  

 

Due to how the article was written, it might appear to joe blow consumer that food manufactures are using gloves that are not "clean and intact" on a regular basis because the FDA doesn't "require it"

 

They cite the CFR section for indirect food additives.    which is correct, there is no guidance as to cleanliness and intactness.    However, we all know gloves are covered in the cGMPs.   

 

If there testing is correct, I would agree that new gloves that have pathogens present its very bad.   On the flip side, IMO, any open box of gloves should not be considered free of bacteria or even free of pathogens.    Also, they do not mention how their gloves are free of bacteria as well as pathogens only that they test them.  which I think we can agree probably offers very little assurance. 

 

wouldn't purchasing sterile gloves be a better solution? 


eb2fee_785dceddab034fa1a30dd80c7e21f1d7~

    Twofishfs@gmail.com

 


Thanked by 1 Member:

Scampi

    Fellow

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 5,514 posts
  • 1515 thanks
1,561
Excellent

  • Canada
    Canada
  • Gender:Not Telling

Posted 12 December 2022 - 06:56 PM

I will start by saying I'm anti glove, for lots of reasons so I'm biased--they are not worn properly, they are not used properly, and hands are not washed properly before putting them on

 

Perfectly plausible, and I am not surprised by the findings, particularly given that the research was performed on imported gloves coming from parts of the world where the standards are not what the western world is used to or expects

 

We use sterile gloves when sampling and this is part of the reason why


Please stop referring to me as Sir/sirs


Thanked by 1 Member:

SQFconsultant

    SQFconsultant

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 4,676 posts
  • 1143 thanks
1,133
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male
  • Interests:Just when I thought I was out - They pulled me back in!!!

Posted 13 December 2022 - 02:39 AM

Of course it can happen.

Just like it did to N95 and similar masks that were contaminated with dorment parasitic margellons that activated from moist warm air (breath.)


All the Best,

 

All Rights Reserved,

Without Prejudice,

Glenn Oster.

Glenn Oster Consulting, LLC -

SQF System Development | Internal Auditor Training | eConsultant

Martha's Vineyard Island, MA - Restored Republic

http://www.GCEMVI.XYZ

http://www.GlennOster.com

 


Thanked by 1 Member:

Tony-C

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 4,233 posts
  • 1293 thanks
611
Excellent

  • United Kingdom
    United Kingdom
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:World
  • Interests:My main interests are sports particularly football, pool, scuba diving, skiing and ten pin bowling.

Posted 13 December 2022 - 04:09 AM

Food Safety News article:

https://www.foodsafe...es/#more-221742

 

Need everybody's opinion: is it possible? I personally doubt it.

 

Hi olenazh,

 

I agree, I don’t believe the headline “Pathogens found on half of the food-safety gloves”, it all seems like one big marketing ploy   :whoosh:

 

But I will say that even if staff are wearing gloves the same hand-washing and disinfection procedures should apply.

 

In addition, if you are using gloves to protect the food from contamination then your supplier assurance of the glove supplier and monitoring of the standard of the gloves (including micro) are clearly very important.

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony

 

etc



Thanked by 1 Member:

KTD

    Grade - SIFSQN

  • IFSQN Senior
  • 264 posts
  • 95 thanks
14
Good

  • United States
    United States

Posted 13 December 2022 - 02:59 PM

Probably a bit inflammatory, but there is a report referenced in the article (I have not read it). The report was published in the Journal of Food Protection, which is a well-respected journal associated with IAFP.

 

Keith



Thanked by 1 Member:

jfrey123

    Grade - PIFSQN

  • IFSQN Principal
  • 636 posts
  • 182 thanks
314
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Sparks, NV

Posted 13 December 2022 - 06:00 PM

Have to take it with a grain of salt, considering it's a study commissioned by the CEO of a glove manufacturer.  But if the data proves accurate, acknowledging they worked with independent labs on the results, those findings are pretty shocking...



Thanked by 1 Member:

EGbois

    Grade - Active

  • IFSQN Active
  • 6 posts
  • 2 thanks
1
Neutral

  • Canada
    Canada

Posted 13 December 2022 - 11:53 PM

It seems possible despite the self interest of the commissioner, and reminds me strongly of the Heilbronn Phantom (German police though they were on the trail of a serial killer but ultimately the swabs they were using at the crime scenes had been contaminated at the point of manufacture.)



Thanked by 1 Member:

G M

    Grade - PIFSQN

  • IFSQN Principal
  • 530 posts
  • 102 thanks
141
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male

Posted 14 December 2022 - 09:56 PM

Food Safety News article:

https://www.foodsafe...es/#more-221742

 

Need everybody's opinion: is it possible? I personally doubt it.

 

 

Most of them are just packed into a cardboard box.  I'd be amazed if the majority were sanitary right out of the container.



Thanked by 1 Member:


Share this

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users