Cross contamination causes numerous foodborne illnesses every year, and food safe managers need to take steps to train their staff on the risks and provide the tools necessary to prevent sickening guests. Rather than using generic white cutting boards, food safe managers may want to look into different colored cutting boards with designated purposes to greatly reduce cross contamination risks.
How Food Safe Managers Can Train staff To Use Colored Cutting Boards Reduce Foodborne Illness Risk
While you can properly wash, sanitize an utilize generic cutting boards for any purpose, there’s often a chance that a cutting board can be mistakenly used for raw product and then prepared food or a board may be contaminated with an allergen that only one member of the kitchen is aware of, increasing the risk of it being used again. Purchasing color coded boards will clearly identify what type of product can be used on each cutting board. There are a few different patterns, but the most common codes are:
- Green: Raw Vegetables
- White: Cheese and Dairy
- Red: Raw Meat
- Brown: Raw Seafood
- Yellow: Raw Poultry
- Blue: Finished Product
- Purple: Allergen Free
As you can see, food safe managers and their staff can clearly identify what product has been prepared on each board if the system is followed. A blue board that has been left out had obviously been used for cooked product while red, brown and yellow are warning flags that there is increased risk of cross contamination with raw product should that board be used for any other purpose.
We’ve looked at several sets available on the market, and many neglect the risk of allergen contamination. We strongly advise food safe managers look into purchasing a purple or uniquely colored cutting board that is reserved only for use in the event a guest with known allergies requests food be prepared on an allergen free surface.
The color code isn’t always a catchall, however, if you’re in doubt as to if a board is contaminated or not, take the time to wash it before using.
Do you use color coded cutting boards to prevent cross contamination?
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