In 1996, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service established the HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control points) rule to verify that establishments have consistent process control for preventing, eliminating, or reducing the contamination of raw meat and poultry products with disease-causing bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and campylobacter. The rule, in
Campylobacter levels in poultry increase after transport
Researchers at Bristol University recently presented new findings regarding Campylobacter contamination in poultry populations. Professor Tom Humphrey from the University’s Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, led a new study showing that Campylobacter levels increase in the gut of chickens and other farm animals when they are transported. According to a Bristol University press release:
The Magic Number Is 165 When Cooking Poultry
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recently advised consumers that cooking raw poultry to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees will eliminate pathogens and viruses. Past food safety guidelines recommended higher temperatures for some poultry products.
Scientific research indicates that foodborne pathogens and viruses, such as salmonella, campylobacter and the avian influenza virus, are destroyed when poultry is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. It’s important to use a food thermometer to check internal temperature.
In addition, LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames says consumers should follow important tips for handling raw poultry. She says these tips can be summarized in three words –clean, separate and chill. Clean means to wash hands and surfaces often; separate means to keep raw meat and poultry apart from cooked foods; chill means to refrigerate or freeze foods promptly.Continue Reading The Magic Number Is 165 When Cooking Poultry
Revised labelling required for poultry products
Ahmed ElAmin of Food Production Daily reports that by next month food companies will be required to have more explicit instructions that uncooked, breaded or boneless poultry products need to be cooked.
The new requirement was sparked by a recent food recall due to consumer confusion over whether such products needed to be cooked. The product led to a number of people falling sick from Salmonella enteritidis.Continue Reading Revised labelling required for poultry products
FDA Bans Use Of Antibiotic In Poultry
Anna Wilde Mathews and Zachary Goldfarb of the Wall Street Journal report that fearing that the animal drug Baytril — used to fight infections in chickens — could pose health risks to humans, the Food and Drug Administration decided to ban its use in poultry.
The decision yesterday to restrict the Bayer AG antibiotic, which takes effect Sept. 12, marks the first time that the agency has ended the use of an animal drug because of worries that it could lead to antibiotic-resistant pathogens in humans.
“We made the determination that the drug was not safe,” said Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, which first asked for the drug’s removal in 2000. The FDA’s top official “has confirmed our original decision.” The FDA’s standard is that food from animals that have taken a particular drug must carry a “reasonable certainty of no harm,” and the agency didn’t feel that poultry treated with Baytril met that standard, he said.Continue Reading FDA Bans Use Of Antibiotic In Poultry