SINGLE-USE GLOVES

Do you know what the "Food Contact" label means for single-use gloves? Why is it useful and necessary?

It is an agreement which ensures the sanitary safety of materials and objects (including single-use gloves) intended to come into contact with food.

To be suitable for food contact, a single-use glove must comply with three different regulations:

 

1/ Regulation (EC)
1935/2004
General requirements
contact alimentaire règlementation
2/ Regulation (EU)
2023/2006
GMP requirements
contact alimentaire règlementation

 

3/ a. PLASTIC (VINYL)
Regulation (EU) 10/2011

 

 

OR

 

contact alimentaire règlementation

                                    

      3/ b. RUBBER (LATEX & NITRILE)
French Decree from August 5th, 2020

 

=

contact alimentaire règlementation

 

The three mandatory regulations in details:

 

1/ The European Regulation (EU) N° 1935/2004 - general requirements:

Defines the principles of inertia and harmlessness.

The glove must not be likely to:

  • Represent a danger to human health
  • Modify in an unacceptable way the composition of foodstuffs.
  • Modify the organoleptic characteristics of foodstuffs (taste, appearance, colour, consistency)

Defines the requirements for labelling, declaration of conformity and traceability.

 

2/ The Regulation (EC) N° 2023/2006 of the Commission of December 22, 2006

Good Manufacturing Practices indicating:

  • Quality assurance system
  • Quality control system
  • Documentation demonstrating the conformity and safety of the products

 

3/ Finally, according to the type of materials:

 

PLASTIC

(vinyl, PE & TPE gloves)
a) Regulation (EU) N°10/2011

 

 

OR

                                                                           

      RUBBER

(nitrile & latex gloves)
b) The National Regulation applies:
NEW French Decree of August 5th, 2020

contact alimentaire règlementation

 

  • Positive list of composition: list of substances that can be used in the composition. It is strictly forbidden to incorporate a substance that is not on the positive list. The manufacturer must check that all the components of the glove are listed.
  • Global (stability) and specific (hazardous substances) migration tests.
  • Additional tests in accordance with Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 (organoleptic tests and migration of restricted substances).

 

Food Contact pictogram recognizable on the packaging:

contact alimentaire

The "glass/fork" symbol on the packaging indicates the ability of the material to come into contact with food, and therefore that the material has passed the various tests.