Dirty cutting boards! Do they have '200 times more faecal bacteria than toilet seat'?

If you are someone who loves to cook and uses wooden cutting boards to chop your vegetables and dice meat and cheese, then it is highly likely you have come across TikTok videos and Instagram reels that warn you against the rampant use of cutting boards. This is for the simple reason that these cutting/chopping boards are not easy to clean and become host to thousands of viruses that are nearly impossible to get rid of.

What is the solution you ask? Most netizens inspired by these reels will tell you to throw it away and start with a new board. But how many times can we do that as it starts another topic on sustainability and efficient uses of resources?

It all began when a video stating that “the average cutting board has 200 times more faecal bacteria than a toilet seat” started doing the rounds. It’’s a shocking statement and one that would grab your attention for sure. But how true is it? Aesthetic nurse practitioner and content creator Miranda Wilson posted about this revelation last November in an Instagram reel that went viral instantly. The statistic however has been floating on the internet since 2014 or maybe even before. Back then, some publications tried warning people against the use of cutting boards and dish towels.

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Can we debunk it though?

The statistic and similar statements root back to two sources, one from Dr Charles Gerba, a professor of virology at the University of Arizona, who has time and again referenced a survey conducted by the Global Hygiene Council (GHC), an organisation that is "made up of leading global experts in hygiene and associated disciplines."

That data isn’t available anymore. But it's safe to say that we can’t exact a number as shocking as “200 times more bacteria” than a toilet seat on cutting boards but it’s true that the humble kitchen utility does a lot of harm if not washed and sanitised properly.

Why are cutting boards getting all the hate?

All the raw meat that you cut on the boards has some bacteria. Some meat also comes from an animal’s intestinal tract, qualifying it as fecal bacteria. So if cutting boards do have 200 times more faecal bacteria than a toilet seat, it’s not because of anything else but because the raw meat viruses are not being cleaned off the board properly.

that’s not because home cooks are refusing to wash their hands after using the restroom — it’s from cooking raw meat, and not properly cleaning your cutting board afterwards.

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The same applies to vegetables and fruits too because they too harbour viruses which can easily transfer and not get washed off simply with warm water and soap. When you chop on a cutting board, the knife may leave behind small grooves, even when they’re not visible to the naked eye. These indentations are what harbour bacteria, and once your board becomes especially worn out, washing with soap and hot water still might not eliminate all of the bacteria inside the many grooves.

Many suggest that we should use wooden boards less because they are not so hygienic. But you cant use plastic boards too since microplastics can enter the bloodstream if you use too much of plastic boards. So that leaves us with just one choice – use them wisely and discard if they get worn out and ensure that they are cleaned optimally from time to time.