Cutting Board Color Meaning and Why It Matters
If you have ever cooked, odds are, you have probably used a cutting board. If you have a plastic cutting board - one made out of HDPE or Richlite - you might have noticed that it comes in different colors: red, green, blue, etc. What might surprise you to know is that the colors aren’t there because they are pretty – there is actually a reason behind the cutting board color meaning.
Cutting Board Color Meaning
Having different colored cutting boards can ultimately help reduce the chance of cross-contamination during food preparation, which typically occurs between raw and cooked foods. For example, if raw chicken touches cooked chicken, it could contaminate it by transferring bacteria and potentially cause food poisoning.
It can also help with food allergies; if someone is allergic to shellfish, you definitely don’t want to cut any raw fish on the same cutting board for their meal.
To avoid this and have good food hygiene, each colored cutting board represents one food group that should only be cut on that specific board. Color-coded boards help you easily keep track of what food has been cut on which board.
Cutting Board Colors
- Red cutting boards should only be for raw meat.
- Yellow cutting boards should only be for raw poultry.
- Green cutting board should only be for salads, fruits and vegetables.
- Blue cutting boards should only be for raw fish.
- White cutting boards should only be for bakery and dairy items, like cheese and bread.
- Brown cutting boards should only be for cooked meat.
*Some people like to use yellow cutting boards cooked meat, poultry and fish and brown cutting boards for root vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, turnips and parsnips. It depends on personal preference and what works for you.
Bonus Colors
Though red, yellow, green, blue, white and brown are the most common cutting board colors, there have been a few additions.
Purple cutting boards are now seeing a rise and represent allergens, like gluten-free food. Purple cutting boards specifically help avoid cross-contamination for eaters with allergens, as their mistakenly eating something bad for them could severely hurt them.
Black cutting boards have become popular with sushi chefs and can also be used for grains.
Cutting Board Werks
Whether you want a cutting board of every color or at least a cutting board for your raw and cooked meats, Cutting Board Werks has your back. With our wide selection of color-coded cutting boards that come in custom sizes, we can help any chef avoid cross-contamination.
Order one of our customized HDPE or Richlite cutting boards today.