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The food contact surfaces are subject to contamination by pathogens that could lead to cross-contamination by transfer events to others food products. However, the European regulation n° 1935/2004 of 27th October 2004 (Anonymous, 2004) specifies that materials intended for safe food contact must not interfere with foodstuff characteristics.

As a traditional and natural material, wooden boards are traditionally used as as a “technological tool” during cheeses ripening process. In France, wood is authorized for food contact by the French Arrêté November 1945 (Anonymous, 1945) and the information note of DGCCRF 2012-93 (Anonymous, 2012).

The aim of this study was to determine the behavior of wooden surfaces in direct food contact, contaminated by a well-known risk along the production chain of dairy products: Listeria monocytogenes.

For this purpose, a protocol was defined and new spruce boards were inoculated by L. monocytogenes solution at a concentration of 10⁵ CFU/cm² and the microbial transfer to pressed non-cooked cheeses was studied. Factors such as cheese time contact, wood moisture content and age of the cheeses were tested.

A comparison of transfer quantification, with other materials surfaces: glass plates and plastic sheets with inclined meshes, used in cheese production, was also realized among the same conditions.

The results showed for all tested surfaces a transfer yield below 3% (CFU/cm²) in the first hour. No differences were found for older cheeses or for higher wood moisture content. In conclusion, wooden shelves are, as much as, safety for food contact than plastic or glass surfaces.