Home Food Safety Mythbuster #2

Putting chicken in a colander and rinsing it with water will remove bacteria like salmonella. FACT: Rinsing poultry in a colander will not remove bacteria. In fact, it can spread raw juices around your sink, onto your countertops, and onto ready-to-eat foods. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry can only be killed when cooked to a safe internal temperature, which for poultry is 165° F, as measured with a food thermometer. Save yourself the messiness of rinsing raw poultry. It is not a safety step and can cause cross-contamination! The non-profit Partnership for Food Safety Education saves lives and improves public health through research-based, actionable consumer food safety initiatives that reduce foodborne illness. www.fightbac.org