Red is for Chicken, right?

Colour coding is a well recognized cross contamination method used in the food industry for controlling or preventing cross contamination.

Cross contamination is microbial transfer by direct contact between surfaces or foods. A typical example is the transfer of pathogens through the use of a cutting board that has not been washed between raw and cooked foods.

Cross contamination is now also considered to be the transfer of food allergens from one food or surface to another, meaning that a food will then contain unintentional allergens. As the Food Standards Code does not allow any unintentional allergen in a food, cross contamination control is essential.

Colour coding is therefore commonly used to separate foods and surfaces, to reduce the likelihood of cross contamination. Different colour cutting boards are the most obvious example for bacteria transfer, and specific colour labels for different foods is a common way of separating and tracing allergens in a business as well. Although a business can choose their own standard, the following are the usual colours for boards / labels and their specific foods;