When touching high pigment foods or raw meat and vegetables, gloves are a simple and great way to improve food safety and avoid the staining of skin during the handling of various food-dye-related activities, including cooking or the dyeing of fabrics using natural dyes etc. Gloves not only improve health and safety standards when it comes to cooking, but are the perfect and easy solution to avoid skin discolouration due to high pigment and strong natural food dye qualities. We’ve all been there, having unnaturally coloured hands or body parts for a few embarrassing days due to not taking appropriate precautions when handling certain food types, however by wearing gloves, this age-old problem is quickly solved and there is no fear of unnecessarily stained skin.

Here are a few examples of how wearing gloves in the kitchen or when handling fruit, vegetables and plants that have a strong, long lasting dye can reduce the risk of skin discolouration, potent smells lingering on skin and improve health and safety issues. Please also be aware that the natural colour of foods does not always indicate the dye colour result.

Walnuts

Walnut hulls produce a strong permanent brown dye that, when in contact with skin or other substances can stain for long periods of time. Whole walnuts can easily cause skin discolouration, however, it in fact the hull that holds the most juglone, the active dye. Walnuts produce such a strong, long lasting and intense brown shade that they have been used in fabric dye methods for hundreds of years and have also been rumoured to be used as homemade hair dye products.

Beetroot

Beetroot is a very popular ingredient in many home cooked meals, but its natural dye can stain instantaneously and leave a brown, blood-red discolouration to the skin. Beetroot natural dyes are extremely potent, and even introduction to water will only reduce the intensity of the dye pigments. Beetroot stains will however fade when exposed to light, but this method of removing may still take a while.

Garlic

Garlic can leave an extremely potent odour when it comes into contact with skin and other substances. When handling garlic, it is helpful to wear gloves if you do not want skin to adopt the garlic smell qualities and hold the odour for a small time period afterwards in its cells.

Vegetables and meat

For hygiene and moral reasons, it is crucial when handling various food types in any home or commercial setting that the food handler should wear gloves. If cooking for a group of various dietary requirements, these gloves should be changed regularly throughout the handling of different food groups in order to reduce the risk of traces being passed between the various food types. This promotes health and safety issues and can give diners peace of mind that their meat eating, vegetarian or other food morals are being respected.

Glove Club offer a wide range of high quality and medical grade latex gloves amongst many other health and safety tested product ranges. For further information regarding any of our products or if you require any advice please feel free to get in contact with our friendly and helpful team on 020 8991 4300.