Milk Jug to Cutting Board HDPE Sheet Delivers

(Newswire.net — March 25, 2014) Anaheim, CA — One of the most common plastic materials for food application is HDPE or High Density Polyethylene. HDPE is an excellent material for producing milk jugs, cutting boards and food equipment components. HDPE is easy to maintain and is a preferred material for cutting and fabrication.

HDPE Sheet Is FDA approved 

One critical concern about materials in contact with food is how safe that material is in food applications. The HDPE sheet is FDA and NSF/ANSI 51 approved for food contact, and also meets the 3A Dairy specifications. The HDPE is a common material choice for food storage containers and bags, feed screws, cutting surfaces and food rollers.

This light weight plastic is easy to clean and is known for its non-stick surface. This non-stick property also means that bonding sheets together is not possible, and the only way to attach sheets together is through welding. Standard bonding methods like epoxy or glue simply slide off after they dry or cure.

Several unique grades of HDPE sheet are available, including, color coding for type of food, and the new Anti-Microbial or bacteria killer cutting boards. While the HDPE sheet looks like Acetal Plastic sheet (also known as DuPont Delrin Sheet), the HDPE is much less expensive and is better suited for cutting board applications. Several plastic sheet materials are also NSF or FDA approved for food contact, including: Nylon (Polyamide), Acetal (Delrin) and PET. However, the HDPE Sheet has the best blend of low cost, food contact approvals and durability.

Food Inspectors Approve of HDPE

Over the last several years, the County Food Inspectors have been cracking down on poor sanitation in restaurants. They have been insisting that cutting surfaces be deep cleaned daily and replaced every 90 days.

Cross contamination is also a major concern for Food Inspectors, and one solution is HDPE colored cutting boards. The concept is to have a different colored board for each food type: 

• Green Cutting Board – Vegetables
• Yellow Cutting Board – Raw Chicken
• Blue Cutting Board – Uncooked Fish
• Red Cutting Board – Beef and other meat
• Tan Cutting Board – Cooked Meats

This color coding concept has been successful in the short run. The other issue is to limit the use of knives, and now matching color coded handles are available in kitchen knives. This will help prevent transmission of bacteria from uncooked meats to the raw vegetables.

Cleanliness is Critical

While Food Inspectors work hard to keep the commercial kitchens and restaurants safe, they don’t inspect your home. Cleanliness is the key to keeping your food safe for you and your family. Here are some keys to food cutting safety:

1. Keep cutting boards clean.
2. Use FDA and/or NSF approved cutting boards
3. Replace worn or stained cutting boards regularly

Don’s just throw away your used and battered HDPE Cutting Board, the HDPE material is fully recyclable, and can be turned into many useful products after being reprocessed. Some of the most durable artificial deck materials are made from recycled HDPE material. HDPE materials are used in thousands of applications, from children’s toys to large playground structures, from outdoor signs to large colorful sculptures.

HDPE sheets are some of the best FDA food approved cutting surfaces.