Wood or not??

So is it OK to use wooden cutting boards in a kitchen?

Wood is a natural substance, that has many small holes in it’s surface. Cutting boards made from wood will also contain these holes, which can be a contamination source in a food business.

Small amounts of food can get into these holes, and then bacteria from that and the environment, can grow if the conditions are correct. This can therefore become a source of food poisoning.

If these holes are kept clean of all food and bacteria at all times, then these wooden boards may be considered suitable for use in a food business. The problem is that it can be extremely difficult to achieve the required level of cleanliness.

This is the reason why most food businesses will now use coloured plastic cutting boards. These boards have the advantage of no small holes to trap food and are therefore much easier to clean. Once they become too scratched and are likely to cause contamination, they should be dumped and replaced.

They are also considered to be an excellent tool for controlling cross contamination, with different coloured boards dedicated to specific foods.

It is OK to use wooden cutting boards if they can be kept very clean, but the coloured boards are superior because of their ease in cleaning and cross contamination control.