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November 15, 2005

Thanksgiving Turkey Safe Choice with Proper Cooking, Handling

Montanans can sit down to a traditional turkey dinner this Thanksgiving without putting themselves at risk of avian flu, state health officials said Tuesday.

“Poultry and poultry products are safe to eat in the United States,” said Jan Stetzer, supervisor of the Food and Consumer Safety Section of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Safety (DPHHS). “People just need to take the usual safety precautions to avoid contamination with other pathogens, like salmonella or E. coli.”

Stetzer said the department has received a few inquiries from people wondering if it’s safe to eat turkey in light of outbreaks of the bird influenza virus known as H5N1, which has decimated poultry flocks in Asia. She noted that no evidence of H5N1 has been discovered in the Western Hemisphere, and no poultry from flocks with confirmed cases of avian flu are allowed to be imported into this country.

“On top of that, normal cooking temperatures will kill the virus,” she said. “In countries where it has been detected, the avian flu virus has never been transmitted through cooked food. To date, there is no evidence that anyone has become infected after eating properly cooked poultry, even when the poultry was contaminated with H5N1.”

In fact, Stetzer said, the biggest threats to health are from:

  • Eating undercooked poultry, eggs, meat, or other prepared foods that have stayed in the temperature “danger zone” (41degrees to 135 degrees F) for more than four hours, and
  • Allowing cooked food to come into contact with uncooked meat or meat juices or non-sanitized cookware or cooking utensils.

She encouraged Montanans to carefully follow cooking instructions and food safety advice when preparing their holiday turkey and other foods. Good hygiene and proper cooking can provide protection against other harmful viruses and bacteria that can cause illness, such as salmonella and E. coli.

“We at DPHHS want everyone to safely enjoy their holidays, families, and Thanksgiving feast,” Stetzer said.

DPHHS offers the following cooking recommendations when preparing turkey, meat or seafood:

  • Store raw meat, poultry and seafood in a shallow pan on the bottom of the refrigerator, so raw juices don’t drip or splash onto other foods.
  • Maintain a refrigerator temperature of 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below and a freezer temperature of 0 degrees F or below.
  • Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator, in airtight packaging under cold running water, or in the microwave (if cooked immediately after thawing).
  • Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm, running water for 20 seconds before and after handling raw products, and wash often during meal preparation.
  • Use plastic or other non-porous cutting boards. Before using a cutting board to prepare a second food, run it through the dishwasher or sanitize it with a solution of household liquid bleach (1 teaspoon to 1 gallon of warm water).
  • Use a food thermometer to make sure foods are cooked to safe internal temperatures. The temperature of a whole turkey must reach 165 degrees F in the innermost part of the thigh.
  • Bake stuffing separately from the turkey. If you do stuff the bird, the center of the stuffing must reach at least 165 degrees F.
  • Never place cooked food on a non-sanitized plate or cutting board that previously held raw meat, poultry, or seafood.
  • Never use non-sanitized cutting utensils on cooked food.
  • De-bone turkey and refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours after cooking.
  • Use paper towels or clean cloths with soap and warm water to clean surfaces used to prepare food.

For more information on safe cooking and turkey tips, visit the Food and Consumer Section of the DPHHS website at: http://www.fcss.mt.gov.

For more information about avian flu, visit www.pandemicflu.gov.

Page last updated: 06/15/2006