Can Cutting Boards Cause Food Poisoning?

May 9, 2018

Cutting boards are invaluable in the kitchen area of a business or other establishment since they protect the countertops from unnecessary wear and tear. With this being said, you need to be aware of the dangers that these tools can pose when you fail to handle and maintain them in the correct fashion. If you fail to take the right preventative measures, they can cause food poisoning.

What Is Food Poisoning?

Food poisoning is a broad term for a variety of food-bourne illnesses that people can catch from consuming contaminated food. Symptoms of this disease can include abdominal cramps, upset stomach, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, dehydration and fever. Cross-contamination of food that spreads bacteria, other types of pathogens, issues with how food is grown, improper handling of food and poorly refrigerated food are major causes of this illness. Typically, a doctor will attempt to find the cause for food poisoning before prescribing the appropriate treatment for it. Antibiotics are effective in certain instances, other times, different measures are required. Most cases do not last long when diagnosed correctly.

Cutting Boards Can Cause Food Poisoning If You Do Not Take Certain Precautions

One major source of food poisoning is improperly cleaned cutting boards or allowing them to be cross-contaminated during food prep. An example of the latter is cutting raw chicken on a board and then, chopping vegetables on the same board. This is a huge mistake since chicken naturally contains salmonella. To ensure that you do not make anyone sick, refer to the next section to learn how to handle and clean your cutting boards in the correct manner.

Proper Sanitation and Handling Measures for Cutting Boards

All of your cutting boards should be thoroughly cleaned in between uses either in a dishwasher or with a mild bleach solution if hand washing them. With the latter method, remove the food debris with detergent and hot water before you soak the boards in a mild bleach solution. Rinse the boards thoroughly with hot water. Another handling method that is advisable to prevent cross-contamination of foods is to purchase different colours of boards and colour code them for specific foods. Two examples of this are yellow for raw chicken and green for vegetables. Never cut other foods on boards that have had raw chicken, raw beef or other types of raw meats on them. On top of all of this, when cutting boards develop too deep of knife grooves, you should have them resurfaced in order to clean and sanitise them safely.

For further info about how cutting boards cause food poisoning and how to prevent issues, consult with our company, Cutting Board Services. We sell new, durable polyethylene cutting boards along with offering a mobile resurfacing service to refurbish your old boards.

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