How to safely handle and cook poultry

National Chicken Month is celebrated every September in the United States. Chicken eggs and meat are packed with tasty, nutritional goodness and are a great addition to your family’s meals. However, you must follow certain safety precautions to prevent food poisoning when handling and preparing chicken. Here’s what you need to know.

How to prevent food poisoning
Salmonella and Campylobacter are leading causes of bacterial foodborne illness, which frequently contaminate raw poultry. Each year, thousands of people suffer food poisoning because of these pathogens. Although most healthy people may only feel mildly unwell for a day or two, children, seniors, and immunocompromised people may experience severe complications from food poisoning.

Here are a few tips to ensure you and your family don’t get sick from eating chicken:

• Buy your chicken near the end of your shopping trip and store it in your fridge or freezer as soon as you get home.
• Avoid buying chicken past its “best if used by” date.
• Don’t buy chicken in ripped or leaking packaging.
• Don’t rinse your chicken before preparing it. This could spread bacteria elsewhere in your kitchen.
• Never eat raw or insufficiently cooked chicken. Make sure a whole bird reaches an internal temperature of 180 F and pieces reach 165 F.

This year, celebrate National Chicken Month by looking for new and delicious ways to prepare poultry.