Proper Handling And Cooking Prevents Foodborne Illness

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2002 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is issuing a public health alert to remind consumers of the importance of following food safety guidelines when handling and preparing raw meat and poultry products. 

FSIS has been recently informed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and by various state health and agriculture departments of an outbreak of Salmonella Newport in February and March.  Consumption or handling of raw or undercooked ground beef is a suspected vehicle.

Food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. Salmonella infections can be life-threatening, especially for infants, the frail or elderly and persons with chronic disease, with HIV infection, or taking chemotherapy. The most common manifestations of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight to 72 hours. Additional symptoms may be chills, headache, nausea and vomiting that can last up to seven days.  Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a physician.

In an effort to reduce incidences of foodborne illness, USDA works to educate consumers on the importance of following food safety guidelines. As a liaison to the Partnership for Food Safety Education, USDA is involved in the Fight BAC!™ campaign.  The goal of this campaign is to educate consumers on the following four easy steps that they can take to decrease the risk of foodborne illness:

• Cook – Cook to a safe internal temperature. Ground beef should be heated to 160 °F.
• Separate – Separate raw and cooked/ready-to-eat food to prevent cross-contamination.
• Clean – Clean your thermometer after using it. Be sure there are plenty of clean utensils and platters on hand. Wash your hands often.
• Chill – At home, store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer within 2 hours of taking food off the grill. On hot days above 90 °F refrigerate or freeze within 1 hour. Make sure the temperature in your refrigerator is 40 °F or below and 0 °F or below in the freezer. Check the temperature occasionally with a refrigerator/freezer thermometer.

Because color is not a reliable indication that meat and poultry products are thoroughly cooked, a food thermometer is the only way to tell if food has reached a high enough temperature to destroy bacteria.  USDA recommends using a food thermometer to ensure that hamburgers made of ground beef are cooked to an internal temperature of 160 °F; ground poultry to 165 °F.  Roasts, steaks, and chops of beef, veal, or lamb should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 °F for medium rare and 160 °F for medium. Fresh pork should reach 160 °F. Whole poultry should reach 180 °F, as measured in the thigh.

Consumers with food safety questions can phone the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555. The hotline can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday, and recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.           

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NOTE: Access news releases and other information at the FSIS Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/

 FIGHT BAC!™
Food Safety Guidelines

• Cook – Cook to a safe internal temperature. Ground beef should be heated to 160 °F.

• Separate – Separate raw and cooked/ready-to-eat food to prevent cross-contamination.

• Clean – Clean your thermometer after using it. Be sure there are plenty of clean utensils and platters on hand. Wash your hands often.

• Chill – At home, store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer within 2 hours of taking food off the grill. On hot days above 90 °F refrigerate or freeze within 1 hour. Make sure the temperature in your refrigerator is 40 °F or below and 0 °F or below in the freezer. Check the temperature occasionally with a refrigerator/freezer thermometer.