When it comes to disposable gloves, food service is a highly competitive industry. Workers often must work in conditions that aren’t exactly a model of hand safety, which only increases the value and importance of glove quality, consistency, and service. And the greater attention given to food purity and safety issues nowadays makes diligence even more important.
The supply chain has received a lot of attention the last few years, and for good reason. The pandemic forever changed the way people thought about where their products come from.
One of the most common questions we get, whether from calls to our customer service line or asked of our reps at trade shows, is “Are disposable gloves food safe?”
If you regularly wear vinyl gloves on the job, economics are likely the No. 1 reason why.
Janitorial & sanitation businesses need predictability and consistency. No one likes surprises, especially when it comes to their hand protection.
Those “bargain” disposable gloves that promised savings of a couple bucks per box? Maybe they hold up OK with light-duty tasks. But maybe they don’t—and workers ended up with glove after glove ripping, or leaking when working with cleaning solutions, or shredding when even the slightest resistance is met.
How much does customer service matter in the disposable glove industry?
To be honest, some folks likely don’t rate it as a prerequisite to doing business. Disposable gloves are a commodity operating in what can be a purely transactional universe. How much for the gloves? Great. Here’s your money. Next?
Cleaning products make our workplaces and homes safer by removing potentially hazardous dirt, grime, germs, and assorted detritus from the environment. But what about the people doing the cleaning?
Hazards are part of the daily routine for janitorial and sanitation workers, who must deal with potentially harmful chemicals that can be found in cleaners for glass, metal, and other substances, including hydrofluoric acid, nitrilotriacetate, and phosphoric acid.
Avoiding cross-contamination and the spread of bacteria in food service establishments is a perennial struggle. Washing dishes, pots, and pans at high temperatures, and thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing all surfaces, are common and effective means of combating germs and assorted microorganisms.
One of the most important defenses against food poisoning, however, is proper handwashing. Hands can spread germs in both the kitchen and the dining area; some of these germs, like salmonella, can make employees (and, even worse, customers) sick. Washing hands frequently with soap and warm water is an easy way to limit the spread of germs.
The push is on to return workers to offices across the country. Both commercial and government entities are exerting pressure to persuade currently remote employees to come in from the field, at least three days a week and in many cases full-time.
That puts janitorial and sanitation workers in the spotlight once again. Offices that have sat vacant since the pandemic first spread in 2020 again will have to be regularly cleaned and sanitized.
When it comes to the disposable glove market, demand planning—pricing and inventory—is the focus of most conversations. We understand why: Clients want to know when it will return to a predictable state, similar to four or five years ago.
The disposable glove market was consistent for almost a decade, with stable prices and predictable growth, leading up to 2020. The key variables that shape it (production, logistics, distribution, etc.) had been well-optimized.
