A Low Tox Guide to chopping boards

Have you seen a lot of chopping board or cutting board ads lately?

Confused about whether the ad you see everywhere is telling you the truth or really is the safest for you and best for your knives? Whenever I clock a new advertisement repeatedly on socials, I know they’re hitting everyone far and wide when there’s messaging around toxicity and being ‘non-toxic’ because I often start to get questions about the item type in my DMs or our membership. This month, I’ve noticed more questions than usual about chopping boards, so let’s dive in and explore the options so you can decide for yourself.

When exploring the subject of chopping boards, the win-win we want to find is this:

1. The surface that doesn’t damage good knives that we want to look after the best we can.
2. The best surface to avoid bacterial/fungal/particulate contamination of our food, thus ourselves.
3. The best board to avoid toxic glues, fillers, poor processing traceability, microplastics and other icky things. Hard pass when it comes to food prep.

The “too good to be true cheap ‘natural-looking’ bamboo boards.”

Cheap (usually under $30AUD) in price and at supermarkets and discount stores, these boards are wood/bamboo boards made from lots of little pieces, reconstituted into a board shape, requiring glues and other resin adhesives to put them together, over which we often have no visibility. They look like this in your local supermarket, and because of the lack of transparency on how they’re processed and what is used to make them into boards, the natural look can fall into the green-wash category of options. It sounds and looks like it might be better than plastic and, in some ways, might well be, but still not a great one.

What do we know about bamboo production and board fabrication?

1. To strip bamboo, several different chemicals can be used, and it’s almost impossible to find out what’s been used in the processing of a cutting board then for sale in the supermarket that is made in a factory in another country, buying bamboo fibre on the open market. So, while this isn’t about fear-mongering, it is about knowing, we just don’t know most of the time with bamboo products, so, I don’t recommend them for things we prepare or eat food from – bamboo bowls and cutlery often marketed to parents, I say “probably best not” as well. Some textile businesses are very transparent and ethical with their bamboo, so I’m specifically speaking about food-related bamboo products, here.
2. As adhesives for cutting boards (and panelling and floorboards for that matter) there are several standard adhesive glues used in the bamboo industry, including aliphatic resin glue, polyurethane glue, cyanoacrylate (aka super glue), epoxy and polyvinyl acetate (PVA) glue.  Epoxy can contain Bisphenol-A (BPA – linked to various metabolic health challenges), and the other glues mentioned here are often contaminated with aldehydes, including formaldehyde in the processing or usage of – especially cyanoacrylate, the super glue. We don’t think of chopping boards as ‘personal care’ or of ourselves eating them, but over time, we do eat them in tiny amounts as they get worn out, and we touch them a lot as we cut and wash them.

Usage of the boards

1. They are prone to mould growth over time – especially if you don’t have full sun to dry them in by the kitchen window, and they stay soggy for too long.
2. They are quite hard due to the glues and resins used, and can prematurely dull your knives.
3. They can release small particles, which can be ingested.
4. The silica often found in bamboo boards reduces your knife’s sharpness.

The ‘impervious’ glass chopping board

In order to create glass that is tempered, which is a form of toughening that enables glass to resist damage, it has to be plunged into a potassium salt bath during high heating and then cooling process. Some glass chopping boards come with an in-built mat on one side, which can be made from materials which involve formaldehyde, resins and foams, and use epoxy and/or other glues in order to bind them to the glass board – you rarely get transparency on what these materials are.

Usage of the boards

1. Possible built-in mat aside, glass boards are generally fairly low risk in terms of chemical load and bacterial contamination when food is prepared, since they are easy to clean.
2. However, they are not commonly recommended for cutting due to their incompatibility with knife use. Not only do they dull knives, but they can also be slippery, which may create safety issues – picture if you will a busy parent whipping up dinner and a knife slips when a kid asks you to help with their potty accident? Eek! I’m just not a fan, as a person with super special Japanese knives that my husband brought us from a business trip one time with work that we would literally be lost without, they’re so good… and as someone who sees safety issues 4 steps ahead – it’s a ‘daughter of a British Dad’ thing. Anyone else? “Good god darling, be careful!”

The ‘plastic is safer’ myth

It is time to say byyyeeeee plastic boards. Wouldn’t wanna see ya!

Plastic boards – as you might have guessed – are made up of an array of synthetic, petroleum-based materials. When exposed to friction, heat or sunlight, these plastics can release toxic chemicals like Bisphenols, flame retardants, phthalates and heavy metals, which then come into contact with our food. Yummy. They come with a considerable environmental impact since they come from crude oil – and this impact doesn’t stop after they’re manufactured but continues as they’re used and then thrown away – Landfill is the only eventual option for plastic boards and as we know – there is no ‘away’.

Usage of the boards

1. Friction is the biggest issue. With every slice of the knife, you’re effectively adding microplastics to your food and adding that food to your body with the side of microplastics. These boards are prone to scarring at a fast rate and the surface becomes really difficult to clean effectively.
2. A plastic chopping board through a dishwasher where it is heated for a long-duration, at a high temperature and potentially releasing more microplastics is not a great idea. Not only is this unideal for our waterways, we may contaminate other washed items.

Metal chopping boards

These can involve a range of materials, such as stainless steel, titanium, aluminium and varying blends. Boy are there a lot of ads for these at the moment, often with a sponsored dietician or doctor in the mix. There is a high possibility that toxic metals may leach into food being cut on some metal-surfaced boards, especially titanium and aluminium. Grooves that form in these boards with repeated wear and tear may also harbour bacteria, therefore de-bunking the antibacterial myth with these.

Usage of the boards

1. Knives are prone to dulling with repeated use on all metal boards due to high friction.
2. Not only are we risking contaminating our food when cutting into these surfaces with toxic metals, when these boards are heated during the washing process such as in a dishwasher, we are again risking issues of leaching into our waterways or other items being washed concurrently.

Wooden chopping boards

The ‘ewww but the bacteria getting into the wood’ line is often used to worry you and make you purchase other types of boards. BUT, what is it based on? Turns out, not much. This study out of the University of Wisconsin showed that comparing 7 different types of wood chopping boards to plastic when it came to bacteria being on the boards, in all 7 cases of the wood, the bacteria died within 3 minutes, whereas it did not die on the plastic.

BUT, as with any board, it does come down to quality. There are two main types of wooden chopping boards: natural timber and manufactured. Similar to bamboo boards, the latter are reconstituted from wood which are usually timber scraps, bound together with glues and resins. On the cheaper end (usually under $60AUD) in price, these boards often look like the below. They can appear ‘natural’ but are still potentially harmful in chemical load.

Usage of (engineered) wooden boards

1. Since the surface of a manufactured wooden board is comprised of various wooden pieces, silicas and glues, the antibacterial properties we’d typically see from an artisan board (see below) aren’t as effective.
2. As the board is used, again the surface being cut into is leaching chemicals into food as the binder surface is compromised. They’re also more prone to mould over time.

Natural (artisan) boards are handmade by sourcing sustainable wood that is high in quality and generally fashioning it out of one solid piece. This is quite a process, from selecting the type of wood being used, cutting, shaping, sanding and finishing. They’re more expensive but I can tell you having a husband who made all of our boards, we’ve had the same set for 15-20 years now and the only time we got food poisoning was dodgy prawns at a restaurant once. Them’s good odds on the case against the bacteria naysayers when it comes to wood boards, right?

Many artisan woodworkers will source natural grain patterns and variations so that each board looks unique. Finishings can consist of beeswax and/or food-grade plant oil such as coconut. In the true definition of an artisan wooden board, glueing is not generally needed if this process is done properly.

Here is an example of a beautiful artisan wooden cutting board created from salvaged Camphor Laurel timber on Biome. By choosing a material like this we are making a healthier choice and also supporting weed control programs. With this care kit, Biome have thrown in some products to help care for an artisan board will make it last even longer.

Over on the Low Tox Project, there is a range of artisan cutting boards, handmade by ‘one dedicated man’. They are so popular that they’re sometimes out of stock, but they come back quickly. You might like to check out their other kitchenware too, with indestructible ice cube trays, stainless lunchbox options, zero-waste olive oil spray bottles, bake trays and more. Corrine’s done an amazing job and was one of the first groups to do my Go Low Tox program 10 years ago now. Jo Whitton’s Dad, Buddy, has also been making lovely boards finished in coconut oil up in Far north Queensland which you can check out, here. (and while you’re there, say a little prayer for him and send healing vibes!)

If you’re not in Australia, here are some other stunning options you might want to check out that artisans are crafting in the UK, Europe, USA and Canada.

Usage of (artisan) wooden boards

1. Artisan wood boards can discourage bacterial growth and even kill bacteria they come into contact with, as we shared in the study link above.
2. These boards are much kinder on knives and do not dull blades with repeated use.
3. Use of a mild natural detergent with hand washing is recommended, and the board can be oiled periodically with a food-grade plant oil, such as grapeseed to avoid it drying out.
4. These boards should be allowed to air-dry completely in between uses with sun-drying a couple of times a week if possible, but a good dehumidifier on in the kitchen a couple of times a week will also ensure they fully dry and stay in tip-top shape.

The main thing is to avoid getting panicked about boards and get empowered instead. Now, you know! Before, you didn’t. You’re not a bad person. Don’t stress about what you didn’t know before. If you’re using a plastic board and you never thought about it till now – add a nice wooden board to your birthday or festive season gift wishlist!

Let’s keep it simple with the materials that come into contact with our food. At the end of the day, it may be a little finicky to have to handwash a natural wooden board and ensure it regularly sun dries, rather than popping some plastic boards in the dishwasher, but then we are supporting a more sustainable material, which is better for us and our environment as it eventually returns back to the earth. Winning!

Any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below or share a favourite artisan.