Thread: Natural Looking Finish for Food Preparation Surface

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