Danish Oil - Is it food safe?
Danish Oil is one of the most popular wood oils that we sell, and as such lots of people want to know if it can be used in the kitchen and on food preparation areas. If you don’t want to read the full blog post, the short answer is yes, Danish Oil is food safe. It is compliant with Articles In Contact With Food regulations.
It can be safely used on:
- Kitchen worktops
- Bowls and plates
- Cutlery
- All other kitchen utensils
- Toys and any other surfaces a child or pet might touch
Is Danish Oil safe for use around food?
Yes, when applied to wood Danish Oil dries to a hard wearing and durable finish. In its liquid form you wouldn’t want to get it on any food, but once it has been applied to the wood and dried, it is perfectly safe.
You can use Danish Oil for kitchen worktops, but we recommend our Worktop Oil, designed specifically for this purpose.
What's in Danish Oil
Our Danish Oil is made using Boiled Linseed Oil, varnish and a solvent thinning agent. Some of the ingredients don’t sound food safe, but once they’ve cured all of the nasties will have evaporated and the product is completely food safe.
If you’re looking for something 100% natural to use on your kitchen worktops, then you should use Tung Oil. It's slightly more expensive than our Worktop Oil or Danish Oil, but it’s made from pure Tung Oil which is pressed from the nut of a tung tree, so is 100% natural - not good for anyone with nut allergies though!
Can you use Danish Oil on chopping boards?
We don’t actually recommend that you do this. Instead, use our Chopping Board Oil. Whilst Danish Oil can be used, you’ll get better long-term results using the Chopping Board Oil.
This is because the Chopping Board Oil is odourless and tasteless, food grade, and designed specifically for chopping boards. To find out more about it, read our blog – Best oil for chopping boards
Using food safe Danish Oil on worktops
Here is a great video showing you how you can clean and maintain your kitchen worktops using Danish Oil. We also have a specialist Worktop Oil that we’d recommend you use for kitchen worktops.
Is Danish Oil safe for children and pets?
A lot of people worry about children or pets licking a surface where Danish Oil has been applied. Just like with the use of Danish Oil in food safe areas, as soon as the oil has dried, it is perfectly safe for kids and pets.
Are there other food safe oils?
You’ll hear people recommending to use vegetable oils because they are food safe oils. However, they are non-drying oils so will never harden and protect the wood. Instead, they will remain sticky in the wood, attract dirt and bacteria, and slowly become rancid!
Like Tung Oil, which I mentioned above, you can use other nut oils such as Walnut Oil. However, you then have the problem with nut allergies!
So if you’re looking for a food safe oil, then Danish Oil is the right choice.
