Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of latex glove usage in the food industry on individuals with a latex allergy.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency recognises that the use of natural rubber latex (NRL) gloves in the food industry may pose a risk to individuals with a latex allergy, with reactions ranging from mild irritation to, in rare cases, severe allergic responses. Under United Kingdom food hygiene legislation, there is no requirement to use latex gloves, and businesses must implement a food safety management system based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point principles, including assessing any risks associated with protective equipment. In addition, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 require employers to assess and, where reasonably practicable, replace hazardous substances such as latex with safer alternatives. In practice, many food businesses use non-latex gloves, such as nitrile or vinyl, alongside good hand hygiene, to effectively control both food safety and occupational health risks.

The Health and Safety Executive has recognised the risks to workers who suffer from NRL allergies and have produced a specific guidance page on their website which covers both the background to NRL allergies and the precautions to be taken by employers where they have employees who may be affected. There is specific guidance on latex gloves and the considerations to be taken by employers when selecting appropriate gloves. The guidance page is available at the following link:

https://www.hse.gov.uk/skin/employ/latex.htm

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