food safety

People dressed for a holiday party don’t picture themselves sick in bed shortly after the festivities, but that’s what could happen if food on party buffets isn’t handled and served safely. Bacteria are party crashers, and the only housewarming gift they bring is foodborne illness.

How do bacteria crash parties? They hitch a ride on perishable foods left out at room temperature without being kept cold (40 °F and below) or hot (140 °F and above). This is called the “Danger Zone” temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F where bacteria grow and multiply exponentially, doubling in number every 20 minutes.

Pasar los días navideños en el hogar no será posible para muchos miembros de las fuerzas armadas. Así que la segunda mejor opción es recibir saludos y regalos comestibles de parte de familiares. Varios alimentos son inocuos para mandar por el correo en tanto se tenga el nombre y dirección del militar estacionado en el extranjero. Por riesgos de seguridad, el Servicio Postal no enviará correo dirigido a “cualquier miembro de las fuerzas armadas”.

Es importante mandar alimentos no perecederos, que pueden tolerar un rango de temperaturas variadas y que no se romperá con manipulación brusca. Regalos de alimentos que se pueden enviar de forma segura incluyen: ‘jerky’ o cecina de res, frutas secas, alimentos enlatados y condimentos regionales como la salsa picante. Galletas hechas en casa, dulces, panes de baja humedad también duran lo suficiente como para ser enviados por  correo.

Being home for the holidays will not be possible this year for many American armed forces. The next best thing may be receiving greetings and gifts of food items. Many foods are safe to mail. However, you must have the name and address of a military person stationed overseas. Because of security risks, the U.S. Postal Service will not deliver mail addressed to “Any Serviceman.”

It’s important to mail food gifts that are not perishable, can tolerate a range of temperatures, and won’t break with rough handling. Food gifts that can be safely mailed include dried products such as jerky and fruits, shelf stable canned specialties, and regional condiments such as hot sauces. Homemade cookies, candy, and low-moisture breads and bar cookies are also good candidates for mailing.

La necesidad de velocidad. Carencia de espacio de horno. Tradiciones de familia. Cortes de corriente. Todos son motivos por cual muchos cocineros podrían buscar nuevos modos de asar el pavo entero fuera del horno. Considere los métodos siguientes sugeridos por la Línea de Información Sobre Carnes y Aves.

Pero primero, un mensaje sobre la inocuidad de los alimentos. Cualquier método que usted use para traer su pavo a la mesa, tenga un termómetro de alimento al alcance. Con el termómetro usted puede asegurar que el pavo ha alcanzado la temperatura interna mínima de 165 °F en la parte íntima del muslo, ala y la parte más gruesa del pecho. Si su pavo esta rellenado, el centro del relleno también debería alcanzar 165 °F. Después de cocinar,  permita un tiempo de reposo de 20 minutos antes de rebanar el pavo.

The need for speed. Lack of oven space. Family traditions. Power outages. All are reasons many cooks might look for ways to roast a whole turkey outside the usual oven. Consider the following methods suggested by the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline.

But first, a message about food safety. No matter which method you choose to get your turkey to the table, have a food thermometer handy so you can make sure the turkey has reached the safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F in the innermost part of the thigh, wing and the thickest part of the breast.  If your turkey is stuffed, the center of the stuffing should also reach 165 °F. After cooking, let the turkey stand for 20 minutes before carving.

Washing anything makes it cleaner and safer, right? Not necessarily.

Wash your hands, but not the turkey!  Many consumers think that washing their turkey will remove bacteria and make it safer.  However, it’s virtually impossible to wash bacteria off the bird. Instead, juices that splash during washing can transfer bacteria onto the surfaces of your kitchen, other foods and utensils. This is called cross-contamination, which can make you and your guests very sick.  Washing your hands before and after handling your turkey and its packaging is crucial to avoid spreading harmful bacteria.

Lavar cualquier cosa lo hace más limpio y seguro, ¿verdad?

Lave sus manos, ¡pero NO el pavo! Los consumidores piensan que lavar sus pavos ha de remover las bacterias y hacerlos más seguros. Sin embargo, resulta virtualmente imposible lavar la bacteria del ave. Sin embargo, los fluidos que salpican durante el lavado pueden transferir bacteria a superficies de su cocina, otros alimentos, y utensilios. Esto es llamado “contaminación cruzada”, lo cual puede enfermarle mucho a usted y a sus invitados. El lavarse sus manos antes y después de manejar su pavo y su empaque es crucial para evitar propagar la bacterias dañinas.

The recent multistate outbreak of Salmonella has served as yet another reminder of the importance of a modern, effective food safety system in the United States. That’s why USDA has undertaken a comprehensive effort to modernize poultry slaughter inspection in ways that will reduce the risk for American families.

A recent story in the Washington Post shared claims by some that this new effort would compromise humane handling. The fact is, this proposal will better position our inspectors to ensure humane handling standards are being met – all while protecting American families from illness caused by Salmonella and Campylobacter.

Yesterday, I visited with USDA employees in Minnesota to tell them how much their work means to the Secretary, myself and the American people. USDA employees across the country and around the world do critical work that impacts millions of lives and I could not be prouder.

Folks often ask me why I work in the federal government and my answer always is: it’s how I serve. Public service is at the core of our nation’s principles. Our founding fathers performed a public service when they laid the foundation for the United States of America—as they sat down to write the Declaration of Independence and as they worked each day afterward to create and maintain a nation.

On August 30^th, FSIS announced the results of our verification audit of China’s poultry processing inspection system, which reaffirmed the equivalence of China’s poultry processing system.  This determination was made after a long and careful review by our expert auditors to ensure that China’s system for processed poultry meets the United States’ safety standards.  FSIS’ core mission is food safety and our staff works hard and diligently to ensure that the U.S. food supply remains safe.  Since the announcement of the audit results, our agency has received several inquires regarding this determination so I want to take the time to explain this process and clarify any misperceptions.

Let me start with explaining what this “equivalence” determination means.  If a country wants to export FSIS regulated product to the United States, as a regulatory agency, we are required to review this request and conduct an audit to determine if their food safety system meets U.S. standards.  The process for determining China’s equivalence began in 2004, when China submitted a formal request to FSIS that the agency evaluate China’s poultry system to assess it equivalence and thus its eligibility to export poultry products to the United States.  After an extensive audit, FSIS granted China “equivalence” for processed poultry in 2006 which meant that China was eligible to export cooked chicken to the U.S. as long as the raw poultry was from an approved source.  FSIS began rulemaking and published a final rule in the Federal Register, adding China to the list of countries eligible to export cooked poultry to the United States.  However, the 2008 appropriations bill prohibited FSIS from using funding to implement the final rule that allowed China to export processed chicken.  In 2010, the appropriations ban was lifted and China submitted a new request for an equivalence audit.