Poultry
Undercooked or raw poultry like turkey, duck, and chicken, of course, can force you to visit your doctor. Consuming contaminated poultry could lead to food poisoning mainly due to some bacteria, Salmonella and Campylobacter.
These two types of bacteria are usually found in the feathers and the guts of chickens, turkeys, ducks, and other birds, so to minimize the risk, you have to make sure you’re cooking them properly. A study found that as much as 80 percent of the raw chicken sold in our supermarkets could be contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria and 5 percent with Salmonella.
When it came to turkey meat, the rates of Campylobacter contamination were lower (30 percent).
However, there’s good news, too. All these harmful types of bacteria can be eliminated entirely if you cook meat accordingly. It’s also equally important to ensure that raw meat doesn’t come in contact with kitchen surfaces, utensils, chopping boards, and other foods.
It’s essential to avoid cross-contamination because the harmful bacteria found in poultry could contaminate, let’s say, your Romain lettuce. If it happens, toss it.
What you need to remember is that undercooked or raw poultry are the main culprits of food poisoning. So, to shrink the risk, you must cook turkey, duck, and chicken meat properly; it’s the only surefire way to get rid of harmful bacteria.
2 Responses
I worked for a local butcher while growing up. every day we had to scrub down everything. the worst part was the inside of the meat counters. they were the old styles and we had to bend over backward to reach the glass and front or customer side of the cooler. the meet was wrapped and loaded into the walk-in cooler at the end of the workday. The worst part is we used full-strength vinegar. it sure cleared your sinuses. the butcher block was also cleaned with vinegar with salt added. all the machinery that had cutting blades were also cleaned the knives sat in a dish of vinegar until used the next day. This man had only a small store but had loyal customers that came in twice a week for fresh meat, chickens, and eggs. turkeys were always ordered ahead of time. I sometimes wonder if the counters were cleaned at the supermarkets. they count on packaging to keep everything from contamination.. Ed the butcher would always rinse his hands with vinegar when he picked up the meat. In all the years the shop was around I never heard of anyone getting food poisoning from his meat. In a neighborhood where we all knew each other, it would have spread quickly if true. We don’t need all the fancy cleaning supplies that cost so much and may contain chemicals that are bad for you, or your kids. Methods learned when we didn’t have refrigeration to keep us safe are no longer passed down. When a real crisis comes we had better know how to eat safely and keep ourselves clean or die. We are now three generations away from such knowledge. best find out.——— I, Grampa
Thank you for this information. Very helpful. God bless.