A bulletin for the Australian Food Industry June 1997
Contents: Food poisoning and the regulatory response | Cutting boards - is plastic better than wood? | Hygiene monitoring by ATP luminometry | AQIS Director defends food inspection system | Cheese from unpasteurised milk banned | Oysters and Hepatitis A | Farmers seek compensation over chemical residue in meat | Australian Smallgoods Food Safety Guidelines
Cutting boards - is plastic better than wood?
Most HACCP programs identify food preparation surfaces as critical control points for ensuring food safety.
Recent studies indicate little difference in the risk of contamination from plastic or wooden boards, provided both are adequately cleaned.
New, plastic boards are generally easier to clean than wooden boards but plastic boards that have extensive knife scars are difficult to clean manually.
Some wooden boards have been reported to exhibit antibacterial properties. After a short period of time, fewer bacteria have been recovered from these boards than from identically treated plastic ones.
The real problem with chopping boards is the risk of contamination of cooked foods by uncooked residues left on the boards. It is recommended practice for food service establishments to use colour coded boards to distinguish those to be used for different types of food.
Domestically, thorough washing of boards will usually be sufficient to prevent contamination but the use of coloured, easily distinguished boards is a simple and effective way to minimise risks.
Food Science Australia
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