Buying Coloured Chopping Boards

It doesn't matter if you're working in a commercial kitchen or preparing food at home, there's one thing you need to avoid at all costs - cross contamination. When you're preparing different types of food at the same time, it's essential to take precautions to prevent the transfer of harmful bacteria.

Of all the equipment that regularly comes into contact with food, your chopping boards can be a prime spot for bacteria to build up if you're not careful. That's why a colour coded chopping board set is such an important item to own.

Chopping Board Colours and What They Are Used For

Traditionally, six colours have been assigned to specific food types including raw meat, raw poultry, raw fish, cooked meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables. More recently, the addition of a seventh purple chopping board has been introduced to cater for 'free from' ingredient prep. Check the guide below to find out which chopping board colours you should use:

Why Use Colour Coded Chopping Boards?

During the course of your everyday meal prep, you'll likely be working with all kinds of food and ingredients. If you use the same knives and boards for all your food, you're dramatically increasing the risk of cross contamination.

Cutting boards in particular can harbour potentially harmful bacteria, especially within the scratches, cracks or crevices caused by everyday use.

By assigning a specific colour to each food group, you'll greatly reduce the risk of spreading those germs between ingredients, as well as potentially dangerous allergens.

Because they're so brightly coloured, it's easy for your staff to identify which board they need quickly. You can also combine it with colour-coding other kitchen equipment such as chef knives, utensils and food labelling too.