At least the sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie should be safe.
As Americans prepare for the traditional Thanksgiving feast Thursday, federal food and health officials have issued warnings about potential bacteria contamination of turkey and romaine lettuce.
Turkey and salmonella concerns
A turkey salmonella outbreak, potentially spread throughout the entire processing industry, has led health officials to advise extra caution to prevent food poisoning as cooks prepare the Thanksgiving turkey.
The outbreak identified earlier this month has hospitalized 63 people and sickened 164 in 35 states, killing one in California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
But health investigators have not been able to identify a single supplier of live turkeys or raw turkey products as the source of the outbreak. That has led them to say the strain involved may be widespread throughout the turkey industry including ground turkey, turkey patties and full turkeys.
Officials are not suggesting cooks forego the Thanksgiving turkey, but are advising them to wash their hands before and after handling the turkey. Warm soapy water should be used to thoroughly clean any surfaces that may have come in contact with the raw meat or poultry juices.
Rather than thawing the turkey by leaving it on the counter, cooks should thaw it in the microwave or in the fridge in cold water, which is changed every 30 minutes, officials advise. When cooking turkey or any leftovers that contain any turkey, make sure the food hits an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Romaine lettuce E. coli warning
The CDC on Tuesday also warned the public not to eat any Romaine lettuce – and retailers and restaurants not to sell or serve it – over concerns of an E. coli outbreak.
Since October, at least 32 people in 11 states have gotten sick, with at least 13 hospitalized, from the same strain of E. coli in the outbreak, officials say. No deaths have been reported, but one person suffered a kind of kidney failure, the CDC says.
Consumers should not only avoid romaine lettuce and any salad mixes that might contain romaine, but also should clean refrigerators where romaine had been stored, the CDC says.
This strain of E. coli had the "same DNA fingerprint" as an outbreak tied to leafy greens in the United States and romaine in Canada late last year. That outbreak killed one person and infected 25 in 15 states. But it is not related to an E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce from earlier this year – which killed five people and sickened 210 in 36 states – the CDC says.
Latest ground beef recall
Let's just say you want to play it safe, skip the turkey, and grill some burgers for Thanksgiving. You're not necessarily in the clear there, either.
The nation's largest beef processor, JBS USA, earlier this week recalled nearly 100,000 pounds of ground beef for possible E. coli contamination. The ground beef, produced Oct. 24 at JBS USA-owned Swift Beef Co. in Hyrum, Utah, may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the USDA says.
The 99,260 pounds of ground beef was packaged in 2,000-pound pallets and in plastic wrapped packages of eight to 10 pounds marked as "Blue Ribbon Beef" and sold in varying levels of fat content including "Ground Beef 81/19 (81% lean) Coarse Grind bearing product code 42410."
No confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the products have been reported, the agency says.
Long Phung Pork Rolls recalled
Long Phung Food Products of Houston, Texas on Tuesday recalled an undetermined amount of ready-to-eat pork products potentially contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the USDA says.
The ready-to-eat pork patty rolls, produced between May 21, 2018 through Nov. 16, 2018, have led to four confirmed illnesses between July 1, 2017 and October 24, 2018, the agency says.
Among the Vietnamese sausages recalled are 6-oz. plastic vacuum-packed Long Phung 1988 Gio Lua Vietnamese Brand Cooked Pork Patty Roll Anchovy Flavored Fish Sauce Added, and a 32-oz. Long Phung 1988 Gio Hue Vietnamese Cooked Pork Patty Roll with Garlic Seasoning Anchovy Flavored Fish Sauce Added.
