Plastic cutting board swap to Wood board

Why make the swap

• Why switch to wood board

  Solid hardwood, ideally one piece with no glue. Our pick is sapele, which its maker says is cut from one piece with no glue or joints. It sheds wood fibre, not plastic.

• What's the concern with plastic cutting board

  Knife cuts gouge polyethylene and polypropylene boards, and the shavings end up in food, a 2023 study in Environmental Science & Technology found.

• General information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor, especially if you’re pregnant, nursing or have a health condition.

• Good to know before you buy

  Many wood and bamboo boards are strips glued together. Use one board for produce and bread and a separate one for raw meat, poultry and seafood, as USDA suggests. Hand-wash with hot, soapy water and oil it monthly.

  Brosisincorp one-piece sapele board, 14×9.5": About 14 × 9.5 inches, cut from one piece of sapele with no glue, the maker says. Pre-oiled with olive oil; small silicone feet sit on one edge, away from the cutting surface.

• Sources (2)

  1. Yadav et al. 2023, ES&T: est. 14.5–79.4M particles per person per year; no toxicity in the cells tested (opens in a new tab)
  2. USDA FSIS: consider one cutting board for fresh produce and bread and a separate one for raw meat, poultry and seafood (opens in a new tab)

  Health and safety facts on this page come from these sources. What a pick is made of comes from its maker's listing or website, as stated on the date we checked.