Salmonella Found in Ground Turkey [Updated 2x]

By Ian Froeb Thu., Aug. 4 2011 at 6:45 AM

Turkey meat is grounds for concern.

Update #2: (Thursday, August 4, 6:45 a.m.) Meat processor Cargill yesterday announced a voluntary recall of 36 million pounds of ground turkey produced at its Springdale, Arkansas, processing plant and sold under the "Honeysuckle White" brand. As of now, according to the New York Times, 76 persons have become ill and one has died from ground turkey tainted with antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg bacteria.

Original post and previous updates after the jump.

Update: (Wednesday, August 3, 7:15 a.m.) The New York Times reports on a possible source of the salmonella outbreak:

Federal officials said the evidence found so far pointed to a single ground turkey factory, but they declined to identify it or the company involved.

However, the meat processor Cargill said that it had been contacted by the Agriculture Department and asked to provide information as part of the salmonella investigation.

The Times also reports that this strain of salmonella is resistant to antibiotics.

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Make sure you cook your turkey burgers till they're well-done: The USDA has issued a public-health alert after a salmonella outbreak in ground turkey that has sickened at least 77 persons across 26 states, reports USA Today:

So far neither USDA nor CDC have been able to determine the producer of the ground turkey that has been causing the illnesses, but the investigation continues.

The USDA advises you to cook and/or reheat ground turkey to 165 degrees. Gut Check advises you to opt for a light meal of, say, bread and fresh fruit instead of a turkey burger. It's too hot today to eat meat.

Tags:

Cargill, food poisoning, ground turkey, salmonella, turkey

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mook

If they fed the turkey what it normally eats in nature and allowed it to run free and exercise and properly drain lymph and toxins, these turkeys would be healthy.

I also eat my never frozen salmon raw and my egg yolk mixed into my orange juice. No salmonella has bothered me. You should be able to digest it with no problem!

Iris

Tsk tsk. Salmonella is so scary! It really is best to go organic. I just wish that it wasn't so expensive!

YokRoo

Ut oh, thats not a good thing at all dude.

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mark

Allmost no pathogens are killed by freezing, it just slows their growth to a managable level.

Ground meat is always more dangerous, increased surface area means more places for bugs to adhear.

A whole cut (steak, roast) can be cooked safe to lower temps because the inside of the roast is for all practical purposes sterile.

jai daily

Salmonella - any of a very varied group of bacteria, genus Salmonella, that colonize the intestines of humans and some animals. www.1wallmart.com Some strains cause typhoid and paratyphoid fevers, while others cause salmonella food poisoning, which is characterized by stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhoea, and headache. www.cleansemart.com It can be fatal in elderly people, but others usually recover in a few days without antibiotics. Most cases are caused by contaminated animal products, especially poultry meat. Human carriers of the disease may be well themselves but pass the bacteria on to others through unhygienic preparation of food. Domestic pets can also carry the bacteria while appearing healthy.

Mike N.

Okay I could probably google this and figure it out, but does the freezer kill these nasties?

IanFroeb

As I understand it -- and I welcome correction/clarification! -- freezing might kill some salmonella bacteria but won't necessarily kill all the bacteria.