Fran’s Chocolates has been certified Organic since 2016. To remain compliant with USDA National Organic Program (NOP) guidelines, Fran’s must be able to show their packaging material and storage containers do not contain synthetic fungicides, preservatives or fumigants.* They apply a similar rigor of compliance to anything that touches their certified ingredients and final products, including single-use gloves. Here it is from them...
Why is glove quality important?
“Fran’s has very high standards of food safety. Because our gloves touch our ingredients and final products through every step of confection creation, we source from the most trusted brand.”
Are you required to have specs for all items used to touch your organic certified products?
“Yes, for supplies such as packaging, parchment paper, paper confection cups, sanitizers and cleansers used throughout our facility. We’ve applied these same standards to our gloves since they too touch our organic certified products.
*We also ensure that our gloves do not contain fungicides, preservatives, or fumigants, in keeping with federal regulations for organic produce which prohibits these substances in packaging materials and storage containers.”
Does the NOP mention gloves? Have you been asked about them during an audit?
“Gloves were not specifically mentioned in our organic certification process, but we have been asked by at least one organic auditor for additional information about the gloves we use to handle food. Having shared the supporting materials for Eagle gloves, he was very happy!”
Why Federal Organic Regulations Should Include Gloves
A toxic chemical found in contaminated “FDA Food Compliant'' single-use gloves caused a recent product recall. Why is this possible?
FDA “Food Compliant” gloves are not subjected to ongoing and regular testing to verify product quality and consistency; gloves must only be tested once to gain FDA certification, further testing compliance is not required. This allows manufacturers to add cheap raw materials, often introducing toxic compounds and chemicals.
Protect Your Organic Certification With Verified High-quality Gloves
Eagle Protect’s proprietary third-party Delta Zero glove analysis, independently verifies a range of their gloves safe for food contact. The multi-layered testing ensures the gloves are clean, intact and free from harmful toxins and pathogens. Eagle is the only global glove supply company to verify gloves are tested and comply with USDA Organic Regulations.
Conclusion
Purchasing gloves, of no known origin or quality, is a potential business risk. To mitigate this, it is essential to purchasing disposable gloves from established suppliers with known quality control measures in place.
The cost of a recall is too high. Does this case study resonate with your business? Contact our team of Eagle Protect food safety disposable glove expert today!
