Safe food preparation materials

BACKGROUND

Food preparation equipment can be a source of potentially hazardous contaminants. Porous surfaces can harbor harmful toxins, while chemicals used to impart special attributes to food preparation equipment, such as non-stick properties for cookware, can leach or volatize during use. One such contaminant is bisphenol-A (BPA), a phenolic-based chemical that is used in products ranging from baby bottles and plastic foodware to water bottles and food can linings. While generally stable, BPA can be released when products containing BPA are exposed to heat or UV light, and may have negative effects on human health.

Immune

Urinary

Digestive

Endocrine

Reproductive

Integumentary

Part 1
Cooking Material

VERIFICATION

Pots, pans, dishware and other cooking tools used to prepare food (except cutting boards) are made entirely of one or more of the following inert materials:

a.⁶⁷

Ceramics, except those containing lead.

b.⁶⁷

Cast iron.

c.⁶⁷

Stainless steel.

d.⁶⁷

Glass.

e.⁶⁷

Coated aluminum.

Solid (non-laminated) wood that is untreated or treated with food-grade mineral or linseed oil.

On Site
Spot Check Documents
Policy Document

Part 2
Cutting Surfaces

VERIFICATION

All cutting boards are made from the following materials, and are replaced when they become excessively worn or have deep grooves from cutting:

a.⁷⁵

Marble.

b.⁷⁵

Plastic.

c.⁷⁵

Glass.

d.⁷⁵

Pyroceramic.

e.⁷⁵

Solid (non-laminated) wood that is untreated or treated with food-grade mineral or linseed oil.

f.⁷⁵

Bamboo.

On Site
Spot Check Documents
Policy Document

Part 3
Banned Plastics

VERIFICATION

No serving containers or plates are made from the following materials:

a.¹²¹

Plastic Number 6 (polystyrene).

Plastic Number 7 (miscellaneous).

On Site
Spot Check Documents
Policy Document

Part 4
Containers for Prepared Food

VERIFICATION

The following materials will be used for all containers used to store, or package food ingredients or prepared foods:

Paper or recycled paper.

Glass.

Aluminum.

NSF certified stainless steel.

Ceramics, except those containing lead.

On Site
Spot Check Documents
Policy Document

	Core & Shell	New & Existing Buildings	New & Existing Interiors
Part 1: Cooking Material	-	O	O
Part 2: Cutting Surfaces	-	O	O

	Commercial Kitchen	Education	Multifamily Residential	Restaurant	Retail
Part 1: Cooking Material	O	-	-	-	-
Part 2: Cutting Surfaces	O	-	-	-	-
Part 3: Banned Plastics	O	-	-	-	-
Part 4: Containers for Prepared Food	O	-	-	-	-

Verification Methods Matrix

	Annotated Documents	On-Site Assessment
Part 1: Cooking Material	Policy Document	Spot Check
Part 2: Cutting Surfaces	Policy Document	Spot Check
Part 3: Banned Plastics	Policy Document	Spot Check
Part 4: Containers for Prepared Food	Policy Document	Spot Check

Standard Citations

67

**National Institutes of Health. Cooking Utensils and Nutrition. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002461.htm. Published 2014. Accessed September 15, 2014.**
46.1.a	The National Institutes of Health's Cooking Utensils and Nutrition recommends that children be protected from ceramic cookware potentially containing lead.
46.1.e	The National Institutes of Health's Cooking Utensils and Nutrition identifies easily cleanable, scratch resistant and non-hazardous properties of anodized aluminum cookware.
46.1.b	The National Institutes of Health's Cooking Utensils and Nutrition identifies that dietary iron may increase due to the use of cast iron cookware.
46.1.c	The National Institutes of Health's Cooking Utensils and Nutrition identifies the low cost, durable, heat resistant and non-hazardous properties of stainless steel.
46.1.d	The National Institutes of Health's Cooking Utensils and Nutrition identifies the scratch resistant and cleanable properties of glass cutting boards.

75

**U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cutting Boards and Food Safety. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/ge.... Published 2013. Accessed September 15, 2014.**
46.2.f	The USDA recommends consumers choose cutting boards with a nonporous surface such as bamboo.

75

**U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cutting Boards and Food Safety. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/ge.... Published 2013. Accessed September 15, 2014.**
46.2.c	The USDA recommends consumers choose cutting boards with a nonporous surface such as glass.
46.2.a	The USDA recommends consumers choose cutting boards with a nonporous surface such as marble.
46.2.b	The USDA recommends consumers choose cutting boards with a nonporous surface such as plastic.
46.2.d	The USDA recommends consumers choose cutting boards with a nonporous surface such as pyroceramic.
46.2.e	The USDA recommends consumers choose cutting boards with a nonporous surface such as wood. Laminated boards may crack and split.

**121**

**U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Toxicological Profile for Styrene. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp53.pdf. Washington, D.C. Published November 2010. Accessed October 28, 2014.**
46.3.a	The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services notes that polystyrene may be present at low concentrations in food from food containers and packaging materials.

This is a legacy version of the WELL Building Standard. Please check the latest version here.

Safe food preparation materials

Safe food preparation materials

BACKGROUND

Part 1 Cooking Material

Part 2 Cutting Surfaces

Part 3 Banned Plastics

Part 4 Containers for Prepared Food

Applicability Matrix

Verification Methods Matrix

Standard Citations

Part 1
Cooking Material

Part 2
Cutting Surfaces

Part 3
Banned Plastics

Part 4
Containers for Prepared Food