Washing raw poultry increases risk of illness, USDA study
Contrary to some public opinion, washing raw chicken and other poultry increases the risk of illness.
A study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that it's hard to thoroughly clean surfaces the poultry may come in contact with.
"Even when consumers think they are effectively cleaning after washing poultry, this study shows that bacteria can easily spread to other surfaces and food," said Mindy Brashears, Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety
RELATED: Raw chicken tweet by CDC sparks online debate about washing, safety
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that millions of Americans are sickened with foodborne illnesses each year, resulting in roughly 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.
The USDA recommend three options to help prevent illness when preparing poultry or meat.
1. Significantly decrease risk by preparing foods that will not be cooked, such as vegetables and salads, before handling and preparing raw meat and poultry.
2. Thoroughly clean and sanitize any surface that has potentially touched or been contaminated from raw meat and poultry, or their juices.
3. Destroy any illness causing bacteria by cooking meat and poultry to a safe internal temperature as measured by a food thermometer.
More information on this study is available in an executive summary.
