Wood Versus Plastic Cutting Boards

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Food Safety: Wood Cutting Boards vs Plastic Cutting Boards

So are you one of the millions of people who are more than a little confused about the issue of wooden versus plastic cutting board surfaces and food safety?

Wood was naturally the first material thought to be safest for food cutting surfaces. Then with the emergence of plastic cutting boards we heard that plastic was safer, then wood once again came through as the safest choice, and then once more it flipped back to plastic.

A very confusing situation when it comes right down to protecting yourself and your family from E-Coli, salmonella and other food related bacteria. So which surface really is safest to use?

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Here Are The Cold Hard Facts: 

Research studies which applied equal amounts of e-coli and salmonella bacteria to both wooden and plastic cutting surfaces, found that the bacteria tended to thrive and multiply on the plastic surface, while on the wood cutting board these same bacteria tended to disappear within three minutes of application. Cleaning with hot soapy water successfully killed the bacteria on both types of cutting board.

When these studies were first conducted it was concluded that wooden surfaces had anti-bacterial properties and that the bacteria had began to die off within a minute of application. Later research subsequently proved that instead of dying off the bacteria actually were absorbed into the wood, therefore no longer causing contamination to the surface of the board, but actually still existing within the board itself!

This discovery then returned the verdict that plastic surfaces were indeed the safer cutting board alternative as it was feared that the bacteria in the wooden board could have the opportunity to emerge at a later time. Where as surface cleaning of plastic cutting boards with hot soapy water could effectively remove the applied bacteria.

Then New Studies Added A Little More Confusion To An Already Confusing Issue: 

Someone came up with the thought that perhaps these studies had been conducted only on "new" boards, and that perhaps research should be done into boards that were actually "used" so as to mimic the condition of most household cutting boards! The results were once again startling.

The wooden surface once again showed the disappearance of bacteria as it retreated deep within the wood, while the cuts made from knife scarring in the plastic surface made it difficult to clean, and it maintained surface bacteria even after being cleaned with hot soapy water.

So What Is Our Safest Choice? 

A study conducted in California in June of 1995 of sporadic cases of salmonellae in older children and adults there, found that those using wooden cutting surfaces in their homes were less than 50% as likely to contract the illness compared to those using plastic or glass cutting surfaces who were about twice as likely to contact salmonella.

Maybe Glass? 

Overall research maintains the conclusion that either a wood or plastic cutting surface is equally effective, so long as it is cleaned thoroughly between the cutting of each food article, and replaced at regular intervals or at first signs of wear and tear.

It is also recommended that two cutting surfaces be used in the household; one for meat and one for vegetables. To clean plastic or wood cutting surfaces use a solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water or 1 part vinegar to 4 parts of water. Apply solution and let sit on surface for a couple minutes before removing with hot soapy water.

But just to give you another alternative, consider a glass cutting board, it resists scarring and is dishwasher safe which easily allows it to be cleaned to very close to sterile quality. If you don't mind sharpening your knives on a regular basis this may be another health choice that you might want to consider.

At least till further research proves otherwise!

As for me I think I'll stick to good old fashioned wood cutting surfaces.

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