When shopping for a cutting board, most people ask two questions:

• Is wood or plastic more sanitary?
• Which material is healthier for preparing food?

For years, conventional wisdom suggested plastic was the safer choice because it could be sanitized more easily. However, decades of research—and more recent studies on microplastics—have challenged that assumption.

At Worthy Craftsman, we build handcrafted hardwood cutting boards because we believe natural materials belong in the kitchen. But don't just take our word for it—let's look at what the science says.

The Hidden Problem with Plastic Cutting Boards

Every knife stroke across a plastic cutting board removes tiny pieces of plastic.

Until recently, little attention was paid to where those plastic particles ended up.

In 2023, researchers at North Dakota State University published a study in Environmental Science & Technology examining the amount of microplastic released from polyethylene and polypropylene cutting boards during normal food preparation.

Their findings were eye-opening.

The researchers estimated that a person using a polyethylene cutting board could be exposed to approximately 7.4 to 50.7 grams of microplastics per year, depending on the cutting board material and cutting conditions. They also estimated exposure to 14.5 to 71.9 million individual microplastic particles annually from regular use of plastic cutting boards.

To put that into perspective, 50 grams is roughly the weight of ten U.S. quarters.

The exact amount any individual person consumes will vary based on cooking habits, knife technique, board material, and how worn the cutting board is. These figures are model-based estimates rather than direct measurements of what every household consumes, but they demonstrate that plastic cutting boards are a meaningful source of dietary microplastic exposure.

Researchers also found that chopping style, board material, and food type all influenced how much plastic was released.

What Do We Know About the Health Effects?

Scientists have detected microplastics in human blood, lungs, placentas, and other tissues, but researchers are still working to understand the long-term health implications.

Importantly, the cutting board study did not conclude that the estimated exposure causes disease in humans.

Instead, it highlighted plastic cutting boards as a potentially significant and previously overlooked source of microplastic exposure deserving further investigation.

As with many emerging areas of science, the evidence is evolving. Many consumers are choosing to reduce unnecessary plastic exposure where practical, and switching to wood cutting boards is one simple way to do that.

Are Wooden Cutting Boards Actually More Sanitary?

This question surprises many people.

The assumption has long been:

Plastic = sanitary
Wood = bacteria

Research tells a more interesting story.

In a landmark series of studies published by researchers at the University of Wisconsin, scientists compared hardwood and plastic cutting boards contaminated with common foodborne bacteria including Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli.

They found something unexpected.

On clean hardwood boards, bacteria were rapidly drawn below the surface of the wood where they became difficult or impossible to recover within minutes.

Plastic behaved differently.

Plastic boards remained microbiologically neutral when they were new and smooth. However, once knife marks accumulated—as happens in normal kitchen use—those grooves became increasingly difficult to clean completely by hand, allowing bacteria to remain on the surface more readily than on clean hardwood boards.

The researchers concluded that used plastic cutting boards with knife scars can become more difficult to sanitize effectively than properly maintained hardwood boards.

Why Does Wood Behave Differently?

Hardwoods such as maple, walnut, and cherry contain microscopic pores and capillaries.

When moisture containing bacteria contacts unfinished hardwood, the wood absorbs that moisture beneath the surface.

As the board dries, conditions become increasingly unfavorable for bacterial survival.

Researchers believe this combination of absorption, drying, and the natural chemistry of hardwood contributes to the reduced recovery of bacteria from wooden cutting boards.

It's important to understand what this means.

Wood is not sterile, nor does it magically eliminate every bacterium.

Instead, properly maintained hardwood cutting boards have repeatedly demonstrated food safety performance that is likely better than well-used plastic boards.

Proper Care Matters More Than Material Alone

Whether you choose wood or plastic, proper cleaning is essential.

A quality hardwood cutting board should be:

• Washed promptly with hot, soapy water
• Dried thoroughly after washing
• Never left soaking in water
• Regularly conditioned with food-safe mineral oil, our pick would be Worthy Oil or board conditioner, like our Worthy Wax, to reduce drying and cracking

Plastic cutting boards should also be replaced once deep knife grooves develop, since those grooves become increasingly difficult to clean completely.

Durability Is Another Advantage

A handcrafted hardwood cutting board can last for decades with proper care.

Unlike plastic boards that gradually wear away with every cut, hardwood boards can often be resurfaced, refinished, and restored.

They're also gentler on quality kitchen knives because hardwood provides a forgiving cutting surface.

The Verdict

If your goal is reducing plastic exposure while investing in a kitchen tool that can last for years, hardwood is difficult to beat.

Scientific research shows:

• Plastic cutting boards release measurable quantities of microplastics during normal use.
• Worn plastic boards become increasingly difficult to clean because knife scars trap bacteria.
• Properly maintained hardwood cutting boards have demonstrated excellent food safety characteristics in laboratory studies.
• Hardwood cutting boards are durable, repairable, and made from a renewable natural material.

At Worthy Craftsman, every cutting board is handcrafted from premium hardwood selected for both beauty and performance. Each board is built to become a lasting part of your kitchen—not another disposable plastic item headed for the landfill.

If you're ready to upgrade your kitchen with a handcrafted hardwood cutting board, we'd be honored to build one you'll enjoy for years to come.

We can make custom boards like this exotic Bocote board or check out Our Store to see what we have in stock!

References

Ak, N. O., Cliver, D. O., & Kaspar, C. W. (1994). Cutting Boards of Plastic and Wood Contaminated Experimentally with Bacteria. Journal of Food Protection.

Ak, N. O., Cliver, D. O., & Kaspar, C. W. (1994). Decontamination of Plastic and Wooden Cutting Boards for Kitchen Use. Journal of Food Protection.

Lim, X. et al. (2023). Cutting Boards: An Overlooked Source of Microplastics in Human Food? Environmental Science & Technology.