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USDA Helps Americans Be Food Safe This Thanksgiving

Posted on: Tuesday, 14 November 2006, 15:00 CST

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service is providing consumers with key recommendations they can use to help reduce the risk of foodborne illness during the Thanksgiving holiday.

USDA's new nationwide food safety public education campaign, Be Food Safe, encourages people to put four easy to remember tips -- Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill -- into practice in order to be food safe during the holiday.

Clean -- Wash hands, surfaces and utensils often to avoid spreading bacteria when preparing food. Hand washing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of foodborne illness.

Separate -- Use different cutting boards for raw meat, poultry, seafood, and veggies. When you prepare Thanksgiving dinner, keep the raw turkey away from vegetables and side dishes that won't be cooked.

Cook -- You can't tell it's done by how it looks! Use a food thermometer. Every part of the turkey should reach a minimum internal temperature of 165°F.

Chill -- Keep the fridge at 40°F degrees or below to keep bacteria from growing. Pumpkin pie should always be refrigerated and leftovers should be refrigerated within two hours.

"Thanksgiving dinner can be a challenging meal to prepare because it is complex and time-consuming," said USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond. "When you factor in thawing the turkey, cooking the turkey, preparing side dishes and desserts -- and the other duties that come with hosting a gathering with family and friends -- it is easy to forget that food safety is the most important factor in determining whether the meal is an enjoyable one."

To help ensure that Thanksgiving meals are as safe as possible, USDA is offering numerous food safety resources for consumers.

Ask Karen -- Consumers can obtain food safety information 24 hours a day though FSIS' virtual representative, "Ask Karen," at www.askkaren.gov.

Meat and Poultry Hotline -- Now in its 21st year, the Hotline is staffed Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern Time, year-round. It will be available from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Thanksgiving Day. Consumers are encouraged to contact the Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline or 1-888-674-6854. E-mail inquiries may be directed to MPHotline.fsis@usda.gov.

Let's Talk Turkey -- Every facet of getting a turkey from the store to the dinner table is included in this publication: buying fresh vs. frozen, safe thawing methods, stuffing, roasting, storing leftover turkey and reheating the leftovers. The brochure is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Lets_Talk_Turkey.pdf.

Turkey: Alternate Routes to the Table -- This publication addresses ways to safely cook a turkey other than roasting it in the oven. Smoking, grilling, electric roaster-oven and other methods are addressed. The information is available at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Turkey_Alt_Routes.pdf

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

Source: Business Wire

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