11/13/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/13/2023 09:20
Contact: USDA Press
Email:[email protected]
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2023 - America's biggest food holiday is almost here, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants to remind consumers to avoid habits that increase the risk of harmful bacteria in their Thanksgiving meal.
"Unsafe handling and undercooking your turkey can cause foodborne illness," said USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Emilio Esteban. "To ensure your Thanksgiving meal is wholesome and memorable without the illness, follow the four steps to food safety: clean, separate, cook and chill, and avoid risky food handling habits that go against USDA guidelines."
Here are seven dangerous habits USDA would like consumers to drop:
#1 Not washing your hands or kitchen surfaces before, during and after food prep: Handwashing is the first step to avoiding foodborne illness. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water before, during and after handling food.
#2 Using the same cutting boards and utensils for raw and ready-to-eat foods: Cross-contamination is the spread of bacteria from raw meat and poultry onto ready-to-eat food, surfaces, and utensils. Avoid this by using separate cutting boards - one for raw meat and poultry and another for ready-to-eat foods like fruits and vegetables that will be served raw.
#3 Defrosting your turkey on the kitchen counter: Leaving any frozen package of meat or poultry for more than two hours on the counter at room temperature is dangerous. Even though the center of the package may still be frozen, the outer layer of the food is in the "Danger Zone" between 40 and 140 F - a temperature where foodborne bacteria multiply rapidly. You can safely thaw a turkey using the following methods:
#4 Cooking your turkey overnight at a low temperature: It is not safe to cook any meat or poultry in an oven set lower than 325 F. At lower temperatures, meat stays in the Danger Zone for too long. Cook your turkey at 325 F or above and ensure all parts of the turkey reach a safe internal temperature of 165 F.
#5 Relying only on a pop-up temperature indicator: While the pop-up timers found in many turkeys tend to be fairly accurate, they only check the internal temperature in one spot when we recommend three. Always use a food thermometer to ensure your turkey has reached a safe internal temperature of 165 F in the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the wing, and the innermost part of the thigh to check its internal temperature.
#6 Stuffing your turkey the night before: USDA recommends against stuffing your turkey since this often leads to bacteria growth. If you plan to stuff your turkey, follow these steps:
#7 Keeping leftovers for more than a week: Store leftovers in small shallow containers and put them in the refrigerator. Thanksgiving leftovers are safe to eat for up to four days when stored in the refrigerator. In the freezer, leftovers are safely frozen indefinitely but will keep the best quality for two to six months.
For more food safety information, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), email [email protected] or chat live at ask.usda.gov from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. On Thanksgiving Day, the Hotline will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
Access news releases and other information at USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service's (FSIS) website at www.fsis.usda.gov/newsroom. Follow FSIS on X at X @usdafoodsafety or in Spanish at: X @usdafoodsafe_es.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America's food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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