Restaurant USDA Cutting Board Food Safety Factsheet Poster

Cutting Boards and Food Safety	
Food Safety Information	
United States Department of Agriculture
Food Safety and Inspection Service	
Food Safety Questions?	
The USDA is an equal opportunity	 provider and employer.	Revised August 2013	
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring that the na	-	tion’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, whole	-	some, and correctly labeled and packaged.	
The Meat and Poultry Hotline says that consumers may use wood or a nonporous 
surface for cutting raw meat and poultry. However, consider using one cutting 
board for fresh produce and bread and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and 
seafood. This will prevent bacteria on a cutting board that is used for raw meat, 
poultry, or seafood from contaminating a food that requires no further cooking.\
To keep all cutting boards clean, the Hotline recommends washing them with hot, 
soapy water after each use; then rinse with clear water and air dry or pat dry with 
clean paper towels. Nonporous acrylic, plastic, or glass boards and 	solid	 wood 	
boards can be washed in a dishwasher (laminated boards may crack and split).
Both wooden and plastic cutting boards can be sanitized with a solution of 1 
tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Flood the 
surface with the bleach solution and allow it to stand for several minutes. Rinse 
with clear water and air dry or pat dry with clean paper towels.
Bamboo cutting boards are harder and less porous than hardwoods. Bamboo \
absorbs very little moisture and resists scarring from knives, so they are more 
resistant to bacteria than other woods. Clean bamboo cutting boards with\
 hot 
soapy water; sanitize if desired. Rub with mineral oil to help retain moisture.
All cutting boards wear out over time. After cutting boards become excessively 
worn or develop hard-to-clean grooves, they should be discarded.	
W	
hich is better, wooden, or plastic cutting boards? Consumers may choose \
either wood or a nonporous surface 
cutting board such as plastic, marble, glass, or pyroceramic. Nonporous \
surfaces are easier to clean than wood.	
Avoid Cross-
Contamination
Cleaning Cutting 
Boards
Replace Worn Cutting 
Boards	
Call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline	Ask Karen.gov	
FSIS’ automated response 
system can provide food safety 
information 
24/7 and a
live chat 
during 
Hotline 
hours.
Mobile phone 
users 	m.askkaren.gov
PregunteleaKaren.gov	
If you have a question 
about meat, poultry, or egg 
products, call the USDA 
Meat and Poultry Hotline 
toll free at 	 	
1-888-MPHotline	 	
(1-888-674-6854)
The hotline is open
year round 	
  Monday through Friday from 	
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET 
(English or Spanish).
Recorded food safety 	
messages are available 	
24 hours a day. 
Check out the 	
FSIS Web site at	
  www.fsis.usda.gov	. 	
Send E-mail questions to 	[email protected]	.	
Bamboo Cutting 
Boards