Clean Guidelines To Increase Food Safety When Using Cutting Boards
From the Food Safety and Inspection Service USDA - Basics for
Handling Food Safely - USDA:
Choose a board with a smooth, hard surface. It should be approved
for contact with food. Replace cutting boards that become deeply scratched, carved or
grooved.
Do not chop salad, vegetables or other ready-to-eat foods on an
unwashed cutting board that's been used to trim raw meat, poultry or
seafood. If possible, always use a clean, separate, color-coded
cutting board for fresh vegetables, fruits, breads, and other food
that will not be cooked prior to eating.
Scrape off any stuck food and scrub all cutting boards completely
with hot soapy water after each use. Dishwashers are usually very
good cleaners for most cutting boards. However, thin plastic or
wooden boards may be damaged.
Sanitize cutting boards from time-to-time with a mixture of one
teaspoon of chlorine bleach to one quart of water. Flood the board
with the mixture; let it stand a few minutes. Then, rinse completely
with fresh water. For better food safety, sanitize washed cutting
boards after using with raw meat, poultry, and seafood. This may be
especially important for households with ill family members.
Let cutting boards dry completely; do not stack together or with
other kitchen gear so that they remain wet.
Store cutting boards so that they stay clean, dry, and do not touch
raw meat, poultry or seafood or their drippings.
