Fivebraids Custom Woodworking, Inc.

Are Wooden Cutting Boards safe to use?

The topic of safety regarding using wooden cutting boards has been hotly debated for quite some time.  Some people claim that a plastic cutting board is safer to use than a wooden one. Others claim the opposite, wood is safer. Depending on who you ask (and/or who you 'trust'), the winner is...both!

The FDA approves of the use of hard, closed grain woods in the construction of cutting boards. Click here for the entire FDA Food Code.

Here is the relevant text contained in that code:

4-101.17 Wood, Use Limitation.

...

(B) Hard maple or an equivalently hard, close-grained wood may be used for:

(1) Cutting boards; cutting blocks; bakers' tables; and utensils such as rolling pins, doughnut dowels, salad bowls, and chopsticks;

...

There have been countless studies regarding this subject, some very scientific, others more practical.  Click on any of the following links for a sample of some of the studies. (Links will open in a new window.  Close the new window to return here.)

The Evaluation of Wooden vs. Polyethylene Cutting Boards - O. Peter Snyder, Jr., Ph.D.

Wooden Cutting Boards Found Safer Than Plastic - New York Times

Plastic and Wooden Cutting Boards - Dean O. Cliver Ph.D.

What's better, a wooden cutting board or a plastic one? - StraightDope.com

If desired, a Google search of the subject will provide you with more reading material than you can possibly consume.The bottom line is that ONLY YOU can decide if the cutting boards shown on this site are safe to use, but all the evidence sure looks favorable!