On cutting boards, microplastics and bacteria

Summary

The video script addresses the controversy surrounding microplastics from plastic cutting boards in food preparation. It discusses the prevalence of microplastics in our environment and the lack of concrete evidence on their health effects. The speaker argues that while microplastics are a concern, the hysteria is unwarranted, and the benefits of using plastic cutting boards, such as ease of cleaning and safety, outweigh the unknown risks. The script also highlights the importance of actual cooking and eating healthy food over the choice of cutting board material.

Takeaways

• 🍽️ Plastic cutting boards are common in commercial kitchens due to their durability and ease of cleaning, despite concerns about microplastics.
• 🌐 Microplastics are ubiquitous in our environment and bodies, but the exact health impact is still not well understood.
• 🔍 HACCP regulations in many developed countries often require color-coded cutting boards, typically made from plastic for ease of color coding.
• 🪵 Restaurants prefer plastic over wooden boards to avoid issues like splinters and the potential spread of bacteria when cleaned in a sink.
• 🧪 Studies have shown no significant difference in bacteria levels between plastic and wooden cutting boards in laboratory settings.
• 📊 A 90s epidemiological study found a correlation between plastic cutting boards and salmonella infections, but it did not establish causation.
• 🥕 A recent study from North Dakota State University found that wooden cutting boards release more microparticles than plastic ones.
• 🌱 The cellulose from wooden boards is similar to dietary fiber and not a cause for concern, unlike the potential effects of ingested plastic.
• 🧬 Animal studies have shown negative effects from microplastics, but the direct implications for human health are still unclear.
• 🛑 The current scientific consensus is that the health effects of microplastics are not yet well enough understood to justify alarm.
• 🥗 The choice between plastic and wooden cutting boards is a personal one, and both have their pros and cons in terms of health and practicality.

Q & A

What was the main topic of the video script discussing?

The video script is discussing the controversy surrounding the use of plastic cutting boards in food preparation, particularly in commercial kitchens, and the concerns about microplastics.

Why are microplastics from plastic cutting boards a concern?

Microplastics from plastic cutting boards are a concern because they can potentially enter the food chain and the human body, but the exact health implications are not well understood.

What does HACCP stand for and why is it relevant to the discussion?

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, a safety protocol that includes the use of color-coded cutting boards, which often leads to the preference for plastic over wood in commercial kitchens.

Why might restaurants prefer plastic cutting boards over wooden ones?

Restaurants might prefer plastic cutting boards due to their ease of cleaning, durability, the ability to color-code them for HACCP compliance, and concerns about splinters from wooden boards.

What are some of the reasons people might sarcastically comment on the use of plastic cutting boards?

People might sarcastically comment because they are concerned about the potential health risks of microplastics, even though the scientific consensus on the impact of these microplastics is not yet clear.

What does the script suggest about the difference in bacteria harboring between wooden and plastic cutting boards?

The script suggests that most studies show no meaningful difference in bacteria harboring between wooden and plastic cutting boards, indicating that both materials can be equally hygienic when properly maintained.

What was the finding of the study from North Dakota State University regarding microparticles released from cutting boards?

The study found that wooden cutting boards release far more microparticles into food compared to plastic cutting boards, which contradicts the common concern about plastic boards.

What is the main argument against the 'freakout' over plastic cutting boards?

The main argument against the 'freakout' is that there is insufficient scientific evidence to support the idea that plastic cutting boards pose a significant health risk, and the concern may be misplaced compared to other sources of microplastics.

What is the script's stance on the use of plastic cutting boards in restaurants?

The script suggests that the use of plastic cutting boards in restaurants is largely dictated by regulatory codes and practical considerations, and that blaming their use for broader societal or health issues is not rational.

What is the script's final recommendation regarding the choice between wooden and plastic cutting boards for home use?

The script recommends that the choice between wooden and plastic cutting boards for home use should be based on personal preference and practical considerations, with a slight preference for wood to avoid additional plastic consumption, but acknowledges that the health impact of either is likely minimal.

What is the role of the Grüns product mentioned in the script?

The Grüns product is a multivitamin, greens powder, and probiotic all-in-one supplement that is mentioned as a personal health choice of the speaker, unrelated to the main topic of cutting boards but included as a sponsored content.

Outlines

00:00

🍽️ Plastic Cutting Boards and Microplastics Concerns

The script addresses the controversy surrounding plastic cutting boards and the potential release of microplastics. It criticizes the sarcastic comments on a video from an Indian restaurant in the UK, where viewers focused on the use of plastic boards despite their widespread use in commercial kitchens. The narrator explains that while microplastics from plastic boards are documented, the overall environmental contribution and health impact are not well understood. The script also discusses the HACCP safety protocol, which often requires color-coded plastic boards in commercial settings for food safety reasons, and touches on the practical advantages of plastic over wood in restaurants, such as ease of cleaning and reduced risk of splinters.

05:02

🧐 The Science of Cutting Boards and Bacteria

This paragraph delves into the scientific studies comparing bacteria on wooden and plastic cutting boards. It mentions that most studies show no significant difference in bacteria levels between the two materials. The narrator discusses the porosity of wood, which allows bacteria to penetrate deeper but not resurface, and the natural antimicrobial properties of some woods, like pine. The script also references an epidemiological study from the 90s that correlated plastic boards with salmonella infections, but notes the lack of causative evidence. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the lack of strong scientific evidence to prefer one type of cutting board over the other in terms of germs and the importance of proper cleaning practices.

10:03

🌱 Wood vs. Plastic Cutting Boards: A nuanced view

The script presents a balanced view on the choice between wood and plastic cutting boards, highlighting a study from North Dakota State University that found wooden boards release more microparticles. It discusses the relative harmlessness of cellulose from wood, which is similar to dietary fiber, and contrasts it with the potential concerns about ingesting plastic particles, which are supported by animal studies showing harm to aquatic life. The paragraph also critiques the overreaction to microplastics online, suggesting it may be driven by a desire to find simple explanations for complex issues. It compares the situation to concerns over Teflon pans and suggests that while plastic boards might be preferable from an environmental perspective, the overall impact of an individual's choice is likely minimal.

🔪 Cooking Habits and Social Media Sensitivity

In the final paragraph, the script encourages viewers to make informed decisions about their cooking tools without succumbing to social media outrage. It suggests that while plastic cutting boards are almost a necessity in commercial kitchens, personal choices at home can lean towards wooden boards to reduce plastic consumption. The narrator admits a personal preference for wooden boards at home but acknowledges the practical reasons for using plastic in certain situations. The script ends with a reminder to focus on the act of cooking and eating healthily, rather than getting caught up in minor details of kitchen tool choice, and a subtle nod to the complexity of product choices, as exemplified by the use of wood composites in some 'wooden' cutting boards.

Keywords

💡Microplastics

Microplastics refer to tiny plastic particles that are less than 5 millimeters in size. They are a significant environmental concern due to their ubiquity in the environment and potential health risks. In the video, microplastics are discussed in the context of food preparation on plastic cutting boards, where the concern is that these particles may enter the food and eventually our bodies. The script mentions that while microplastics from plastic cutting boards are documented, the exact volume and health impact from this source compared to other environmental vectors is not well understood.

💡Plastic Cutting Boards

Plastic cutting boards are used in many commercial kitchens and some households due to their durability and ease of cleaning. The video script discusses the controversy surrounding these boards, as they are known to release microplastics. The debate in the script revolves around whether the use of plastic boards is more harmful than wooden ones, especially when considering the potential for microplastic ingestion and the broader environmental impact.

💡HACCP

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, a systematic preventive approach to food safety from biological, chemical, and physical hazards in production processes. The script mentions HACCP as a regulatory protocol that influences the use of color-coded cutting boards in restaurants, which often leads to the preference for plastic over wood due to ease of color coding and sanitation.

💡Wooden Cutting Boards

Wooden cutting boards are an alternative to plastic and are often preferred by consumers due to perceived environmental and health benefits. However, the script points out that wooden boards may also have issues, such as the potential for splinters and the release of microparticles. The discussion in the video emphasizes that the choice between plastic and wooden boards is complex and not solely determined by concerns about microplastics.

💡Color-Coding

Color-coding is a method of organizing tools or items by color to prevent cross-contamination, often used in food safety practices. In the context of the video, color-coding of cutting boards is highlighted as a reason why plastic boards are favored in commercial kitchens, as they can be easily color-coded to differentiate between types of food being prepared, such as red for meat, green for vegetables, and white for fish.

💡Cross-Contamination

Cross-contamination refers to the transfer of bacteria or other contaminants from one food product to another. The script discusses the potential for cross-contamination when using wooden cutting boards, which can spray bacteria onto surrounding surfaces when scraped clean in a sink, as opposed to the direct dishwasher cleaning of plastic boards.

💡Antimicrobial Resins

Antimicrobial resins are substances that can inhibit the growth of microorganisms. The script specifically mentions pine resins as having natural antimicrobial properties that may help to control bacterial growth on wooden cutting boards. This is part of the broader discussion on the relative safety and hygiene of different types of cutting boards.

💡Epidemiological Study

An epidemiological study is a research method that looks for patterns, causes, and effects in large groups of people to understand disease and health events. The video references a 90s study that found a correlation between the use of plastic cutting boards and salmonella infections, although it emphasizes that such a correlation does not establish causation and that further research is needed.

💡Grüñs

Grüñs is a brand mentioned in the script that offers a multivitamin, greens powder, and probiotic all-in-one supplement. The product is highlighted as an example of a health choice the speaker makes based on research, and it is used to illustrate the point that individual health choices are personal and should be informed by scientific evidence.

💡Endocrine Disruption

Endocrine disruption refers to the interference with the normal functioning of the endocrine system by certain chemicals. The script touches on research indicating that microplastics can cause endocrine disruption in aquatic animals, leading to health issues such as reproductive problems. However, it notes that the extent of this effect in humans is not yet well understood.

💡Cellulose

Cellulose is a complex carbohydrate that forms the primary structural component of plant cell walls. The script points out that wooden cutting boards release more microparticles, which are primarily cellulose fibers, and likens them to the fiber found in vegetables, suggesting they may not be a significant health concern.

Highlights

Microplastics from plastic cutting boards are a documented concern, but the extent of their impact compared to other environmental sources is unknown.

The environment is saturated with microplastics, which are also present in our bodies, but the health implications are not well understood.

Commercial food preparation often uses plastic cutting boards due to regulations like HACCP, which may require color-coded boards.

Plastic cutting boards are favored for their ease of cleaning and durability compared to wooden boards.

Wooden cutting boards may harbor bacteria differently due to their porous nature, but studies show no significant difference in bacteria levels between wood and plastic.

A study from North Dakota State University found that wooden cutting boards release more microparticles into food than plastic ones.

The health effects of ingesting plastic are minimal according to a study exposing mouse cells to microparticles from cutting boards.

Animal studies show harm to aquatic life from microplastics, but the comparison to human exposure levels is uncertain.

The public's reaction to microplastics in food preparation may be influenced by misinformation and a lack of scientific understanding.

The choice between plastic and wooden cutting boards should be based on personal preference and practical considerations rather than fear of microplastics.

The video discusses the importance of not overreacting to social media scares about microplastics in food preparation.

A multivitamin and greens powder called Grüns is introduced as a health supplement, unrelated to the main topic but sponsored.

The Grüns supplement is described as a convenient and consumable daily nutritional option, suitable for those with dietary restrictions.

The video emphasizes the importance of cooking and eating healthily over the choice of cutting board material.

The author suggests that the impact of cutting boards on health and the environment is minimal compared to other sources of microplastics.

The author recommends using wooden cutting boards at home for environmental reasons, despite the scientific evidence being inconclusive.

The video concludes by advising viewers to focus on cooking and consuming healthy food rather than obsessing over the type of cutting board used.

Transcripts

So one of the algorithms the other day served  me a video from an Indian restaurant in the  

UK. They were demonstrating some gorgeous dish  that they make, and I swear every other comment  

on this video was somebody sarcastically saying,  "Ooh, microplastics delicious," all because they  

were preparing their food on plastic cutting  boards like nearly every other restaurant or  

commercial food preparation place in the developed  world. They were using poly cutting boards. This  

is an incredibly stupid comment for people to  be leaving and it's mean, and we're going to  

talk about why. Microplastics from plastic cutting  boards that's real. It's documented, it's a thing.  

What we do not know is how much microplastics  you're getting from your plastic cutting boards  

compared to the volume of microplastics  that you're getting from other vectors,  

other sources in your environment. The environment  is full of microplastics. It's ubiquitous in  

our world and in our bodies at this point. We also do not know how big of a deal that is.  

We don't really know what it's doing to us and at  this point, my estimation of the research that I'm  

going to share with you is basically we don't know  enough to be freaked out at this point. Of course,  

there are many reasons why commercial food  preparers generally use plastic cutting boards  

rather than wood and many jurisdictions they  may be literally required to, or they might be  

all but required to. It's called HACCP, hazard  analysis and critical control points. This is  

the safety protocol that has been enshrined into  the regulatory codes covering restaurants in all  

kinds of developed countries, and what it says is  that you have to use color-coded cutting boards,  

a red one for meat and what is it, green one for  vegetables, white one for fish, I think it is.  

And in order to have color-coded cutting boards,  you probably need to have poly cutting boards.  

It's much harder to safely color-code a wooden  cutting board. Of course, there are other reasons  

why restaurants would generally favor plastic,  plastic you can throw into the dishwasher,  

wood you probably want to scrape clean in a sink.  There are of course wooden cutting boards that  

you can put into the dishwasher too, and in  fact, you could put any wooden cutting board  

into the dishwasher. It probably just won't last  as long, and that's a concern for restaurants,  

so they generally opt for plastic. Restaurants  also worry about splinters coming up off of  

wooden cutting boards and the customer chokes on  it and that would be bad on Instagram and it's a  

much more acute health risk to be concerned  about compared to the long-term hypothetical  

health risk of chronic microplastic exposure. Another thing worry about is that when you take a  

cutting board and you scrape it down in a sink  like this, like you would generally do with a  

wooden cutting board, there have been laboratory  experiments that have shown that this action  

sprays a lot of bacteria onto the surrounding  counter surface and up into the air, and that  

could be a source of cross-contamination that's  probably greater than if you were taking a plastic  

cutting board and then is dropping it directly  into the dishwasher. Which cutting surface  

harbors more bacteria has been studied a few times  directly and most studies directly examining the  

bacteria on the surface of the cutting board show  no meaningful difference between wood and plastic.  

Wood is generally more porous than plastic and  they've done experiments where they've found  

that bacteria does tend to migrate deeper into  the material here, but then again, it tends to  

stay there and doesn't work its way back up,  and if it does stay there, it may be killed by  

some of the natural antimicrobial resins in pine  in particular that's been shown in one study.  

But really every literature review you're going  to turn up is going to say the same basic thing,  

which is that there's no strong case to be made  for wood or plastic [inaudible 00:03:28] germs,  

at least in a laboratory setting. Of course, what  happens with germs on surfaces in a laboratory  

setting is very different from what happens with  germs in actual kitchens among actual free-living  

human beings who may in fact cook and wash very  differently with plastic versus wood and there's  

all kinds of things we can't capture. Really, the  only epidemiological study that I've been able to  

find is one from the 90s where they just found  a correlation between plastic cutting boards and  

salmonella infections in California. People were  actually in the study far more likely to have  

salmonella infections if they use plastic cutting  boards than wooden cutting boards, but this was  

just like a pure correlation thing in a survey. We just don't know much from that. What kind of  

person, what kind of demographic was favoring  plastic cutting boards in California in the  

1990s compared to wood cutting boards? My  demographic factors explain this difference  

in salmonella outcomes. Now of course, we  can't all just sit on our hands and wait  

for overwhelming scientific evidence to tell  us exactly what to do. We all have to make  

day-to-day choices in terms of our own individual  health and which kind of cutting board you choose  

to use I respect either way. Another personal  choice that I make in terms of my own health,  

it's based upon research, is I do supplement  a multivitamin and a great one now is Grüns,  

sponsor of this video. In fact, this is more  than just a multivitamin. It's a multivitamin.  

It's what they're calling a greens powder these  days and it's a probiotic all-in-one thing.  

And what is the thing? It's a candy, a gummy. It's  nut-free, gluten-free, anything that people have  

common sensitivities to and it's not in here.  And they told me that I could just eat it for  

the first time on camera. Okay. They encouraged  me to do that. They said, "Try it for the first  

time on camera. We're so confident you're going  to like it." Yeah, it just tastes like a fruit  

snack. It should be shaped like a little car or a  cartoon character or something. Actually, I guess  

it just shaped like a bear. It's just green.  That is good. And it is thickened with pectin  

rather than gelatin, so it's vegan. Now if you're  somebody who has trouble swallowing big pills  

or choking down powders, this could be a really  great option for you. You eat the whole package,  

that is your daily supplement. There's just  things in here that take up a lot of space,  

the fiber to be a prebiotic, and then also the  mushrooms that are in here that are associated  

with good cognitive outcomes. They are good. It's got all over the basic vitamins that science  

says you need and will support healthy immune  function, healthy skin, all that kind of stuff and  

in reasonable amounts. Some other products contain  gigantic doses of certain vitamins and I'm not  

sure how I feel about that. This is very rational.  Vitamins are methylated, which makes them more  

bioavailable, especially to 30% of the population  with a particular genetic abnormality. And the  

gummies themselves only have three grams added  sugar. There is a sugar-free option as well. So  

whether you're mainly concerned about gut health  or free radicals in your body, this is a really  

good science-backed daily all-in-one nutritional  supplement that just is highly consumable, very  

eatable. Right now you can get up to 45% off. Just click my link in the description, up to 45%  

off your order with my link in the description.  Thank you, Grüns. So in terms of science, there  

is no strong case to be made for wood or plastic  as far as germs are concerned. We don't even know  

if that whole restaurant procedure of having  different color-coded plastic cutting boards,  

we don't even know if that makes people healthier  in aggregate. They're simply too hard of a thing  

to research. What we do know is that when you cut  on any kind of cutting board, stuff comes off and  

ends up in your food and in your environment. This  is the study out of North Dakota State University  

from last year that I think is the cause of  the present furor on plastic cutting boards and  

microplastics. They actually found that wooden  cutting boards release far more microparticles  

into the food like three times as much. So if your problem is that you're grossed out  

by just non-edible stuff in your food than maybe  wood should be the one that you're worried about,  

but you probably shouldn't be worried about that  because wood is mostly just cellulose. Cellulose  

is just fiber. It's what your vegetables  are made out of. There is actual reason to  

be worried about plastic that you ingest. We  know just about nothing from human studies,  

but from animal studies. We do know that aquatic  animals in particular are really, really harmed by  

all of the microplastics that we are pouring into  the environment, filter feeders, physical effects  

like they just choke on them or their digestive  systems are abraded by the plastics, but also kind  

of chemical biological effects, oxidative stress,  inflammatory responses, DNA damage, that kind of  

thing, but also endocrine disruption, hormones  getting messed up, reproduction getting messed up.  

But we do not know how these levels of exposure  these animals are experiencing compared to the  

levels of exposure that we are experiencing. And we don't know how our bodies process plastics  

versus how their bodies process plastics. We're  very, very early in our understanding of this  

problem. So indeed in this North Dakota study  where they isolated the microplastics coming  

off of a cutting board where they were cutting  carrots, what they did is they did a little  

experiment to try to apply it to actual health.  They took a mouse cell and they exposed it to the  

microparticles that they had harvested from their  cutting board. And what they found was absolutely  

nothing. There was no meaningful result on the  health of this cell. And indeed one would assume  

that the health effects from ingesting plastic  could be really minimal because the whole point of  

plastic is that it's relatively chemically inert.  We are absolutely consuming it all the time,  

but we are also eliminating it all the time  without event. Whether something else happens  

there in the interim, whether there's a  gradual buildup of plastic in our bodies,  

we don't know and what the long-term chronic  health effects of that is, we don't know.  

But there is no information to justify the  freakout that is happening online just yet.  

I think it's probably the research about endocrine  disruption that has caused this whole issue to be  

vacuumed up into the aggrieved manosphere on  the internet, mostly young men who are upset  

that they have not achieved the kind of status  in the economy or in life that they would like  

or in love, they're not able to have sex with the  people they want to have sex with and they want  

to blame something external for that. And it's  really easy to try to blame something that is  

both external and easily eliminated. It would be  easy to eliminate plastic cutting boards from your  

life and therefore that's a really attractive  explanation for why you're not the kind of man  

you want to be. I mean, it couldn't possibly  be that you sit on your butt all day staring  

into the misery machine and you don't go out  and spend time with real people and you don't  

move your body and you eat way too many calories. I mean it couldn't be that right? So where I think  

we're at with the science is that it's kind  of a similar situation to Teflon pans. Yeah,  

the forever chemicals they use in the manufacture  of these pans are bad and they're bad for the  

environment, but your use of a pan is probably  just a tiny little drop in the bucket of the  

problem. They're used in products all throughout  your life that are totally ubiquitous and even if  

you stop cooking in these, it's really  not going to affect your health or the  

environmental health of the planet very much at  all. That's not a reason to avoid them. I mean,  

I actually do kind of avoid them. I minimize them.  I only use nonstick when I absolutely need to,  

and indeed, I actually mostly favor wooden  cutting boards at home nowadays. I just tend  

to use the plastic ones in videos because the  wood ones tend to have gigantic logos burned  

into them, which is super annoying. Plus I have kind of an attraction to  

this green guy that has been in my videos  since video number one. You could say that  

I should be cutting on wood in my videos to  model good behavior for my audience and I'll  

take that under advisement. But gosh, here,  look at this literature review that I've got  

linked in the description. This is very recent.  It's out of Norway, it has no shady sponsors,  

and it's all about all of the microplastics from  all of the food and food-related products that  

are in your life. It is just so, so much bigger  than cutting boards. Look at this Indian meal  

that Lauren and I got takeout the other day.  Look at all of the plastic and the plastic is  

getting hot and heat is a particularly bad thing  for microplastic extraction. So should you favor  

wood cutting boards all else being equal? Yeah, I'd say maybe, yeah, if for no other  

reason than to just kind of avoid buying yet  another plastic product. If you have some  

particular reason to use the plastic, the  case for the wood is just very, very weak,  

and I just think you should just go with whatever  you have a particularly good reason to do and also  

go with whatever is going to get you actually  cooking. Whether you cut the carrot on the wood  

versus the plastic probably matters a whole lot  less than whether or not you eat the carrot.  

Kind of similar to in the gym where people obsess  over whether you're doing your bench press with  

your wrists like this or your wrists like this.  Yeah, there's scientific cases to be made for  

either depending upon your goals, but if it's  going to account for maybe 1% of your outcome,  

whereas the 99% of your outcome is going to be  determined by whether or not you got in the gym  

and did the bench press in the first place,  just cook, just cook and eat healthy food and  

clean your stuff thoroughly when you're  cutting meat and stuff like that on it.  

Well, and all kinds of other things. It's not just  meat. And what I would say most conclusively is  

don't have a social media freak out whenever you  see somebody on the internet cooking on plastic.  

If they're in a restaurant, they all but have to  cook on plastic and that is not their fault. Also,  

take a second and think about whether or not  you're being rational. I get crap sometimes when I  

cook on this plastic. Nobody ever says anything  when I cook on this wooden one in my videos,  

despite the fact that what kind of wood is  this? Look at that wood grain. You ever seen  

a tree like that? This isn't wood, it's a wood  composite. It's bound with plastic or resin,  

which is a kind of plastic. It's kind of like when people get  

on me for cooking with Nestle-branded products  in my videos. Nestle is legit very problematic  

company in a number of meaningful ways, but if you  look at the center aisles of your grocery store,  

half the products, half the brands in there  are owned by Nestle. So come on, what are  

we talking about here? Actually, we should  talk more about that another day. We will.