May 19, 2009 One quick way of coming down with a bout of food poisoning is by transferring bacteria and viruses from one food source to another – raw meats are a good example where contamination can occur. A cursory wipe with a cloth, or even a wash in hot soapy water, is unlikely to remove all the bacteria. The Alkeo from Joe Brussel is a self-sanitizing cutting board design that aims to improve food preparation safety by incorporating a medical-grade, germicidal UV lamp to destroy any nasty bugs.

If you've been cutting raw chicken then need to make a salad, you give the polycarbonate board a quick wipe and then push it into a slot at the top of the Alkeo. The UV lamp goes to work sanitizing the board.

With about 76 million cases of food-borne illness reported each year – most caused by bacteria in uncooked food or on contaminated cooking surfaces – the Alkeo is a convenient, tidy and safe solution to the problem.

Of course, using a liquid sanitizer, such as chlorine, in the rinse water remains a low-tech option, but if you're in doubt about any cutting board, the best way to avoid illness is to throw it away and purchase a new one.

David Greig

Via: Yanko Design.