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NEW YORK (AP) – There is no reason to skip Thanksgiving dinner due to an outbreak of salmonella linked to raw turkey.
This is according to health officials who are monitoring the outbreak of a year. But they say it's a reminder to properly prepare your holiday bird. The kitchen kills salmonella.
The current outbreak and last week's ground turkey recall may still ask you a few questions when trying to get a turkey plate.
Can my turkey have Salmonella?
Salmonella is considered widespread in poultry and it is perfectly legal for supermarkets to sell raw turkey containing the bacteria. One of the reasons for allowing salmonella is that people do not eat medium-sized chicken, said Timothy Lytton, a law professor at Georgia State University. In 1974, a court declared that "American housewives and cooks are normally neither ignorant nor stupid" and that they know how to prepare meals so that people do not get sick.
Although salmonella is not banned in raw meat and poultry, regulators ensure that the number of samples in the treatment plants that have yielded positive results for the bacteria is up to standard. The rules are stricter for whole turkeys, and the industry says the chances of finding salmonella in whole birds are "extremely low".
The turkey industry quotes the steps it takes to reduce risks, such as the use of antimicrobial rinse solutions.
The rules differ for other products. For example, salmonella is not allowed in packaged foods that are not cooked to kill germs.
What about the outbreak?
Since its emergence last year, the outbreak related to raw turkey has caused one death and 164 reported diseases in 35 states. Until last week, regulators had not been able to tie any case to a specific product or supplier. Even though the investigators stated that 29 unidentified slaughter and processing plants had been tested positive for the salmonella strain in question.
The recall could be confusing because federal regulations are contradictory. The US Department of Agriculture does not prohibit salmonella, but may ask companies to recall products when it is clearly established that they are responsible for diseases. Carmen Rottenberg, of the USDA, said the agency could only act before having enough evidence.
According to the USDA, people with food poisoning reported consuming different types of turkey products and brands. Cases also included people who handled raw pet food or worked with live turkeys.
Salmonella is spread through animal droppings. It is attributed to about one million cases of food poisoning a year, accompanied by symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps. The USDA notes that falling ill depends on the strength of the strain, the amount and susceptibility of the person. But the agency says that cooking should kill salmonella.
WHAT HAS BEEN RECALLED?
The USDA has linked an Arizona disease to Jennie-O's ground turkey meat. Jennie-O's recall was limited to a turkey's one-day production in September from a manufacturing facility located in Wisconsin. The packages had expiry dates in early October but could still be in freezers.
Regulators say that more products from other companies could still be linked to diseases. The parent company, Hormel Foods Corp., said it owns five of the 29 germ-positive tested plants.
The ongoing epidemic does not necessarily mean that there is more food poisoning due to salmonella. Improved detection could simply reveal epidemics that in the past may have seemed unrelated, said Sarah Sorscher of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
"It highlights a long-standing problem," she said.
What should cooks do?
Health officials have stated that proper handling and cooking should kill all salmonella. Some points to remember:
– This seems counterintuitive, but do not rinse the raw turkey – it can spread all the germs.
– Clean hands and cooking surfaces in contact with raw turkey.
– Cook the birds at an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.
Richard Carlson of Hormel, pointed out that salmonella in turkeys was not unusual and that proper handling and cooking should be eliminated, even in the ground turkey Jennie-O recalled the week last. Regulators, however, say to throw it away.
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Follow Candice Choi to www.twitter.com/candicechoi
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The Health and Science Department of the Associated Press receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Scientific Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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