News — food safety

If you want to know how to disinfect wooden chopping boards properly, the safest home method is to scrub with hot soapy water for 30–60 seconds, rinse, then disinfect with either 70% white vinegar for 5 minutes or a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution for 1 minute before drying upright for at least 2 hours. Done consistently, this routine keeps a quality board hygienic for 5–10 years without damaging the wood. Why wooden chopping boards can be safer than plastic It surprises many cooks that a well maintained wooden chopping board can be more hygienic than a plastic one. Hardwood fibres...

If you cook meat at home, you should use at least 2 separate chopping boards: one kept only for raw meat, poultry and fish, and one for veg, fruit and ready to eat foods. Food Standards Agency guidance links shared boards with higher cross contamination risk, while using two clearly separated boards can cut that risk by more than 50% in everyday home kitchens. Why you should use separate boards for raw meat and veg The main reason to keep raw meat and veg on different boards is simple: bacteria. Raw chicken, pork and mince can carry pathogens like Campylobacter...

If you are cooking in the UK and want to follow food safety guidance, the best colour chopping board for raw meat is red. In a colour coded kitchen system, red boards are used only for raw meat, while a separate board, such as a natural bamboo board around 45x35cm, is kept for cooked food and serving to avoid cross contamination. Why red is the best colour chopping board for raw meat in the UK Most UK food hygiene courses and commercial kitchens use a simple colour code: red for raw meat, blue for raw fish, green for salad and...

If you want the best bamboo cutting boards for bacteria resistance, look for dense Moso bamboo that is sealed with food safe oil and used on a dedicated surface. In our tests, the Deer & Oak Large Bamboo Board (45x35 cm, 1.8 kg Moso bamboo) and Bamboo Double Pack used as separate boards for raw meat and fresh produce gave the most reliable bacteria control with simple washing and drying. Why bamboo cutting boards can resist bacteria better Good bacteria resistance is mostly about three things: how easily a board scratches, how quickly it dries and how well you keep...