# Are Nitrile Gloves Food Safe in Canada? What the Listing Must Say > Which nitrile gloves carry a maker's food statement, which say nothing, and what the CFIA says a food business should keep on file. - **URL:** https://janitori.com/blogs/the-clean-room/nitrile-gloves-food-safe **In this guide** - [Are Nitrile Gloves Food Safe?](#answer) - [What Do Canadian Food-Safety Rules Say About Gloves?](#rules) - [Which Nitrile Gloves on Our Store Carry a Food Statement?](#yes) - [Which Nitrile Gloves Say Nothing About Food?](#no) - [Do Heavy Reusable Nitrile Gloves Count?](#reuse) - [How Do You Check a Glove Before You Order?](#check) Searching “are nitrile gloves food safe” returns a confident yes, but a Canadian kitchen has to be able to show it for the specific glove in the box. This guide sorts the nitrile gloves on our store by what their makers actually say about food, and lists the paperwork to ask for. Regulatory points come from [CFIA guidance on construction materials, packaging and non-food chemicals](https://inspection.canada.ca/en/preventive-controls/food-establishments) and the [Safe Food for Canadians Regulations handbook](https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-industry/toolkit-food-businesses/sfcr-handbook-food-businesses); every product quote is copied from a live listing description on 2026-11-03, and we have not tested any glove. **Key takeaways** - Nitrile is not food safe by default: the CFIA makes the food business responsible for showing that gloves and other materials are safe and suitable for their intended use. - Of 94 nitrile-glove listings on our store, 34 mention food or the FDA in the maker's description; the other 60 give a buyer no food statement to rely on. - The CFIA recommends keeping a supplier or maker letter of guarantee for food-contact gloves, and says a letter stays valid only while composition, name and maker are unchanged. - Colour and thickness do not make a glove food safe; the proof is the maker's statement for that exact model, so check the listing before you order a case. ## Are Nitrile Gloves Food Safe? Not automatically: nitrile is a material that makers often make into food-suitable gloves, but whether a given glove is suitable is the maker's statement for that model, and the food business is the one responsible for being able to show it. That is why the same word, nitrile, covers a glove sold with a food statement and one sold with none. Of the 94 nitrile-glove listings on our store, 34 mention food or the FDA in the maker's description; the other 60 do not. ## What Do Canadian Food-Safety Rules Say About Gloves? Gloves are expected where food is handled, and the CFIA puts the responsibility for the glove's suitability on the food business: its [CFIA guidance on construction materials, packaging and non-food chemicals](https://inspection.canada.ca/en/preventive-controls/food-establishments) says businesses must ensure materials used in their facilities are safe and suitable for their intended use. The [Safe Food for Canadians Regulations handbook](https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-industry/toolkit-food-businesses/sfcr-handbook-food-businesses) summary says the hygiene rules require clothing and, where applicable, gloves to be worn when handling food. For gloves, the CFIA lists four ways to show safe use: the old Reference Listing (last updated January 2016, so verify with the maker), a previously issued CFIA Letter of Acceptance, a Health Canada Letter of No Objection, or a supplier or maker Letter of Guarantee. It adds that it is a recommended practice to keep a letter of guarantee for food-contact work apparel such as gloves, and that the CFIA no longer issues new acceptance letters for it. ## Which Nitrile Gloves on Our Store Carry a Food Statement? Eight lightweight nitrile listings carry a food statement in the maker's text (seven sold by the box, one by the pair); the table quotes each one as printed. | Glove listing | What the listing text says (as printed) | [Ansell Microflex Cobalt N19 (exam, 3.9 mil, box of 100)](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/ansell-microflex-cobalt-n19-multi-purpose-exam-gloves-nitrile-3-9-mil-powder-free-blue-class-2) | “Gloves also comply with US FDA food contact regulations, so can be used to protect the hands of food workers” | [Ansell TouchNTuff 92-600 (5 mil, box of 100)](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/ansell-touchntuff-92-600-gloves-nitrile-5-mil-powder-free-green) | “Accepted for use in Canadian food processing facilities” | [Ansell TouchNTuff 92-675 (5 mil, box of 100)](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/ansell-touchntuff-92-675-gloves-nitrile-5-mil-powder-free-blue) | “Accepted for use in Canadian food processing facilities” | [PIP disposable nitrile (4 mil, box of 100)](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/pip-disposable-gloves-nitrile-4-mil-powder-free-blue) | “Complies with FDA food handling requirements, 21 CFR 177.2601 / Accepted for use in Canadian food processing facilities” | [PIP Grippaz Skins (6 mil, box of 50)](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/pip-grippaz-skins-ambidextrous-disposable-gloves-nitrile-6-mil-powder-free) | “Complies with FDA food handling requirements 21 CFR, Part 177” | [MCR Safety NitriShield Stealth Extra (6 mil, black, box of 100)](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/mcr-safety-nitrishield-stealth-extra-disposable-gloves-nitrile-6-mil-powder-free-black) | “Industrial/food grade” | [Showa N-Dex Plus 8005PF (8 mil, box of 50)](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/showa-n-dex-plus-8005pf-industrial-grade-gloves-nitrile-8-mil-powder-free-blue) | “Acceptable for food and pharmaceutical applications / Accepted for use in Canadian food processing facilities / Not for medical use” | [Showa lightweight nitrile (9 mil, sold by the pair)](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/showa-lightweight-gloves-nitrile-9-mil-powder-free-blue) | “Organic formulation is safe for contact with all food categories” These are the makers' statements, not our testing and not a certificate; a statement on a listing is where to start the request for a letter of guarantee, not where to end it. Several cite US FDA rules, and which paperwork a Canadian inspector accepts is for the inspector to say. ## Which Nitrile Gloves Say Nothing About Food? Many do, including common disposable models; the three below show what the descriptions actually print. | Glove listing | What the listing text says | [Microflex Onyx](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/microflex-onyx-gloves-nitrile-3-5-mil-powder-free-black) | “Suitable for use in a wide range of industries and applications” | [Ronco 4 mil disposable](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/ronco-disposable-gloves-nitrile-4-mil-powder-free-blue) | “no food statement; the text covers chemical resistance and cuff design” | [Showa N-Dex green](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/showa-n-dex-gloves-nitrile-4-mil-powder-free-green) | “Made of FDA compliant materials; Applications: Laboratory, pharmaceutical and industrial” A missing statement does not prove a glove is unsuitable, only that the listing gives you nothing to rely on. “Made of FDA compliant materials” is a statement about materials; it does not name food handling, so ask the maker what it covers. ## Do Heavy Reusable Nitrile Gloves Count? Some do, for cleaning and washdown rather than food prep: the [Ansell Solvex 37-145](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/ansell-solvex-37-145-gloves-13-l-nitrile-11-mil) and the [Showa Nitri-Solve 11 mil](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/showa-nitri-solve-gloves-13-l-nitrile-11-mil) are 11 mil reusable nitrile gloves sold by the pair, and both listings say “Accepted for use in Canadian food processing facilities”. The Nitri-Solve listing adds “Made of FDA compliant materials” and lists food processing among its applications. Thickness is a separate question from food suitability, so read the statement, not the mil rating. ## How Do You Check a Glove Before You Order? Read the maker's statement, then get it in writing for your records; five steps cover it. - **1.** Read the listing: Look for a food statement in the maker's own text, such as the examples in the first table. No statement means the listing gives you nothing to rely on. - **2.** Ask your inspector what they want: If a provincial or municipal health unit inspects your kitchen rather than the CFIA, ask that inspector which documents they expect; the CFIA page does not speak for them. - **3.** Request a letter of guarantee: Ask the supplier or maker for a letter of guarantee covering the glove for food contact. The CFIA lists it among the options and recommends keeping one for food-contact work apparel such as gloves. - **4.** File it with your food-safety records: The CFIA says a letter of guarantee for a product not covered by another document must be included in the Preventive Control Plan, so keep it where an inspector can find it. - **5.** Re-check when the glove changes: A letter stays valid only while the product's composition, name and maker stay the same, so ask again if you switch brand or the maker changes the glove. ## Frequently Asked Questions ## Are blue nitrile gloves food safe? Blue is a colour, not a food-safety statement. Three blue gloves in our first table, the [TouchNTuff 92-675](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/ansell-touchntuff-92-675-gloves-nitrile-5-mil-powder-free-blue), the [PIP 4 mil](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/pip-disposable-gloves-nitrile-4-mil-powder-free-blue) and the [Showa N-Dex Plus](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/showa-n-dex-plus-8005pf-industrial-grade-gloves-nitrile-8-mil-powder-free-blue), carry a maker's food statement; blue [Ronco 4 mil](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/ronco-disposable-gloves-nitrile-4-mil-powder-free-blue) gloves do not. ## Are black nitrile gloves food safe? Colour does not decide it. The [MCR NitriShield Stealth Extra](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/mcr-safety-nitrishield-stealth-extra-disposable-gloves-nitrile-6-mil-powder-free-black) listing says “Industrial/food grade”, while the [Microflex Onyx](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/microflex-onyx-gloves-nitrile-3-5-mil-powder-free-black) listing says only that it suits “a wide range of industries and applications”. ## Can exam-grade nitrile gloves be used for food? Only if the maker says so for that glove. The [Ansell Microflex Cobalt N19](https://janitori.com/en-ca/products/ansell-microflex-cobalt-n19-multi-purpose-exam-gloves-nitrile-3-9-mil-powder-free-blue-class-2) exam glove states it complies with US FDA food contact regulations; other Class 2 exam gloves in the collection state different things, so check each listing. ## What is a letter of guarantee for gloves? It is a document from the supplier or maker of a product, kept on file by the food business as evidence the product is safe and suitable for its intended use. The CFIA page on [CFIA guidance on construction materials, packaging and non-food chemicals](https://inspection.canada.ca/en/preventive-controls/food-establishments) lists it as one of four options and describes what it should contain on a linked page. ## Related Articles - [Cleaning Supplies for Business: The Essential Checklist for Canadian Facilities](/blogs/the-clean-room/cleaning-supplies-for-business-the-essential-checklist-for-canadian-facilities) - [Nitrile vs Latex vs Vinyl Gloves: A Commercial Buyer's Comparison](/blogs/the-clean-room/nitrile-vs-latex-vs-vinyl-gloves) - [Garbage Bag Sizes: A Commercial Size Chart in Inches, Litres and Mils](/blogs/the-clean-room/garbage-bag-sizes) [Shop Disposable & Chemical Gloves](https://janitori.com/en-ca/collections/disposable-chemical-gloves)