Food Safety and Hygiene
Chopping Board Colours with Food Groups for Food Safety
You might wonder why anyone needs different chopping board colours or different coloured chopping boards in a single kitchen!
This Colour-coding kitchen equipment is essential for professional caterers.
Table of Content
What are the different chopping board colours used for?
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Preparing fresh salad ingredients and raw meat on the same chopping boards can contaminate food, causing illness or an allergic reaction. Using different colours ensures food safety and hygiene, preventing accidental cross-contamination. Various chopping board colours with food groups exist for food safety issues.
As per food contamination, the WHO states, “an estimated 600 million – almost 1 in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420 000 die every year, resulting in the loss of 33 million healthy life years (DALYs).”
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) recommends these colour-coded chopping boards can-
- Prevent diseases
- Help you follow strict food safety standards
- Reduce the risk of contamination across foods
- Helps in avoiding the allergic reaction
Red Chopping Board Use For
A Red colour chopping board is used for cutting raw meat and all kinds of poultry food(chicken, duck, turkey etc.). As these foods contain harmful bacteria, After cutting, they must be cleaned in the dishwasher or under hot water with plenty of soap. This is essential for preventing cross-contamination between raw meat and ready-to-eat foods.
Yellow Chopping Board Used For
On a Yellow board, you can cut cooked meat and poultry, such as boiled/baked/grilled chicken, lamb, duck, turkey, cooked steak, boiled eggs, grilled or smoked fish, salmon fillet etc.
After cutting foods, wash yellow chopping boards thoroughly. They will not have as much bacteria as raw or uncooked meats. Still, it is always better to clean these boards with hot, soapy water.
Blue Chopping Board Used For
The Blue chopping board is used for raw fish, such as shrimp, cod, haddock, pollock, tuna, salmon, shellfish, squid, and other seafood.
Therefore, it is essential to keep them separate to prevent cross-contamination. Do not forget to wash it with a dishwasher or soapy water.
White Chopping Board Used For
The white chopping board is applied for dairy and bakery items, such as bread, cakes, cheese and pastries. The cleaning issue is the most sensitive part of this board. Before turning to cut other foods, wash them thoroughly with warm, soapy water.
Because many people are allergic to dairy products. For example, it could be fatal to prepare bread on an unwashed whiteboard that you used for cheese.
As per food allergies and their issues, think about joining an Allergen Awareness Course. This course helps you learn about food intolerances and allergens, their causes and signs, and the laws that apply. It also shows you how to manage and stop allergens from spreading, turning you into a skilled food safety pro.
A Green Chopping Board is Used For
A green chopping board is used for cutting fruit, salads and vegetables, such as apples, bananas, and strawberries. You can chop, like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and vegetables.
Brown Chopping Board Used For
It is applied when you cut unwashed root vegetables. For example, you can cube potatoes, grate carrots or slice beetroot.
Root vegetables often have soil on them. A brown chopping board ensures that this dirt doesn’t come into touch with other foods.
Purple Chopping Board Used For
You can use a purple board for preparing free-from products, such as gluten-free bread. This is good practice, but it could also prevent a fatal reaction for people who suffer from related allergies. In addition, you must take steps to prevent cross-contact and allergic reactions.
Which Colour Chopping Board to use with which Food Groups?
Different food categories and their respective cutting board colours are as follows:
| Chopping Board Color | Food Group |
|---|---|
| Red | Raw Meat (Including poultry) |
| Green | Green Veggies, Fresh Fruits, Nuts, and Salads |
| Brown | Root vegetables (potato, carrot, beetroot etc.) |
| Yellow | Cooked Meat (incl. Roast or boiled chicken, or turkey and fried or boiled fish) |
| Blue | Raw Fish and Sea Foods |
| White | Bakery and Diary (e.g. Bread, Eggs, and cheese, Tofu) |
| Purple | “Free-From” Foods (e.g. Gluten-free diets) |
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When Should I Replace a Chopping Board?
It is necessary to replace your chopping boards regularly, especially when they turn worn and old. It also prevents allergic reactions and cross-contamination.
Quickly change it if you identify the following issues:
- When you discover deep knife scratches on board, Knife scratches are unavoidable on chopping boards. However, it helps bacteria exist and multiply, making it difficult to clean.
- If you find it no longer sits flat on your work surface. Generally, the chopping board has been cleaned lots of times. As a result, it becomes shapeless and bends, making it sit flat on a surface. If it happens, you must replace it.
- Learn that somebody has been mixing them up, such as if they have been using a green board to cut raw meat.
Talking about cross-contamination, do you know the four types of contamination? Learn more in our blog to understand this topic well.
Conclusion
Implementing the colour-coded chopping board for your kitchen equipment is an easy way of preventing cross-contamination, which is a crucial aspect of food safety and hygiene.
But you have to keep conscious about the cleaning process after using it. Remember to be consistent with your colours and replace boards when worn.
However, along with home and restaurants, all chefs maintain this system to ensure the highest possible food safety standards.
No worries, become healthy and enjoy the diversity of coloured chopping boards.
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ]
What colour chopping board is used for raw fish?
– A Blue board is used to cut raw fish and raw seafood.
So, what colour chopping board for raw meat?
-A Red colour-coded chopping board is used for dicing or mincing raw meats and poultry products,loke-chicken, turkey, duck etc.
What colour chopping board for fruit?
– A green colour chopping board is used for cutting fruits, salad ingredients and vegetables.
What colour chopping board for vegetables?
– A green coloured chopping board is applied for cutting vegetables.
Which colour chopping board is commonly used for raw fish?
– Blue coloured is used for raw fish and seafood.
