Natural Looking Finish for Food Preparation Surface

[Normanj]

My son has bought a table for food preparation, which has an attractive but unsealed wooden top. He wants to seal it so that it does not become stained etc during use. One option might be a a matt finish polyurethane, but perhaps some sort of oil finish might look more natural?

Can someone suggest a durable finish that will preserve the natural appearance (it's some unspecified hardwood) as far as possible but provide a barrier against staining? While the food will normally be processed on a cutting board etc. it's inevitable that some will come into contact with the table so it's important that whatever is used will not taint the food.

Thank you

[ubeaut]

FoodSafe Plus

[lewisc]

I use Paraffin Oil on my chopping boards. It's the same as the mineral oil.

It doesn't taste of anything and won't go rancid. You can buy it from pharmacies as it's used as a laxative. I always get a funny look when I buy a few bottles at a time.

About 2mins in, he starts talking about finishes for chopping boards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YcF1Ne2GlI

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0YcF1Ne2GlI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

[Trav]

FoodSafe Plus

This

[Normanj]

Thanks to everyone for these helpful suggestions.