meat and poultry hotline

Thanksgiving is a time when friends and family gather to celebrate together, and the center of the action is the kitchen. Pots and pans will be full of collard greens and gravy while a turkey cooks in the oven. With so many moving parts, it is key that the preparation and cooking areas get fully cleaned and sanitized to avoid the spread of bacteria that causes foodborne illness.

For first-time hosts, or even experienced cooks, the Thanksgiving turkey can be a nerve-wracking dish to prepare once a year. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has some tips to reduce any anxiety over cooking your turkey this year.

Throwing a celebratory BBQ gathering this Fourth of July does not have to be stressful when it comes to the menu and food safety. As you prepare to welcome a large gathering of family and friends, keep these core food safety practices in mind:

Here’s an important Thanksgiving food safety tip that will surprise many: USDA doesn’t recommend stuffing a whole turkey. The practice increases the risk of cross-contamination and takes the turkey longer to cook. Cook stuffing separately instead.

The busiest time of the year for USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline is the week before Thanksgiving. Calls, chats and emails are answered by food safety specialists who even work on Thanksgiving Day to ensure your meal is safe.

It’s finally November. To beat the crowds, you rush to your grocery store to buy a turkey. If this is your first time, you’re faced with a dilemma: frozen or fresh?

You have a food thermometer and are ready to use it – that’s fantastic! But do you know where to place it in your foods? Correctly placing the food thermometer within food is important to get the most accurate temperature reading. Without proper placement, it’s possible that parts of your food could still be undercooked and, if contaminated, could make you sick.

Quit food safety confusion cold turkey this Thanksgiving! While this holiday is a great time to spend with family and friends, it’s also time to bust some myths.

Long days, hot temperatures and family gatherings will soon return to America’s backyards. Also returning are traditions, like roasting a whole pig. Roasting a pig requires a lot of planning before, during and after the meal to ensure food safety. Over the past few years, there have been foodborne illness outbreaks associated with pig roasts in several states.