Keep raw ingredients apart from ready-to-eat food

FoodSafety.gov and the CDC advise using separate cutting boards for raw meat, poultry, or seafood and for produce, bread, and foods that will not be cooked before eating. If you have one board, wash it with hot, soapy water after raw food preparation; wash hands, knives, and nearby counters as well before handling ready-to-eat ingredients. Hands and utensils moving between raw packages and a board can carry contamination, so separating the preparation steps helps interrupt that route.

Cleaning and sanitizing are different steps

The CDC recommends washing cutting boards and utensils with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item. Washing removes food residue and soil; sanitizing is an additional treatment intended to reduce microorganisms. The cited consumer guidance does not prescribe one disinfectant concentration or microwave treatment for every board material. If you use a product on a food-contact surface, follow its label for dilution, contact time, and rinsing, along with applicable local food-safety advice.

Replace badly worn boards and do not rinse raw meat

FoodSafety.gov says to replace cutting boards when they become worn, while the CDC recommends separate boards for raw and ready-to-eat foods. Deep grooves or cracks can make a surface difficult to clean and dry thoroughly, so consider replacing a board with substantial damage. Rinsing raw meat in the sink can splash germs onto nearby utensils and surfaces and is not recommended in the CDC guidance. Washing a board after use is not the same as washing raw meat.

Expert perspective: what public-health guidance establishes

The FoodSafety.gov “4 Steps” page and the CDC’s prevention page are household consumer guidance built around clean, separate, cook, and chill practices. They are not comparative studies of board materials or proof that a particular sanitizing cycle works for every kitchen. A practical home routine is to reserve a board for raw animal foods, wash it promptly after use, and let it dry fully. Homes with people at higher risk and commercial kitchens should also follow local rules and their food-safety plan.

In a 2025 Journal of Food Protection experiment, Freie Universität Berlin researchers Bischoff, Alter and Schoenknecht inoculated professional sugar-maple and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) boards. E. coli detection fell faster on the maple boards under their test conditions, while Staphylococcus aureus behaved differently; cleaning reduced detection on both materials. Those results depend on the material, organism and laboratory procedure. They do not establish that every wooden board is safer or that washing can be skipped. The FoodSafety.gov and CDC separation and cleaning steps still apply.

Sources and references: 4 Steps to Food Safety | FoodSafety.gov / Preventing Food Poisoning | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / Hygienic Evaluation of Wooden Cutting Boards: Microbiological Parameters | Journal of Food Protection (Bischoff, Alter and Schoenknecht)