Food Safety

Food Safety

Susan Allen
Susan Allen

Welcome to Open Range, I’m Susan Allen. Stay tuned because after the break I’ll check in with our field reporter, Greg Martin for the AgriBeef Minute.

I’m Greg Martin with today’s AgriBeef Minute. You know it’s outdoor grilling time when the afternoon is filled with smell of barbecue and we’ve given you some good grilling tips but how about food safety? Jackie Madill with the Washington State Beef Commission.

MADILL: The biggest focus as we move into the summer months where people are doing more grilling and outside cooking and enjoying their meals outside really comes down to when you are preparing and working outside your traditional kitchen you want to be very diligent about keeping your workspace clean and keeping your food separate.

It’s called cross contamination and by using separate utensils and cutting boards you can pretty much eliminate that. Madill says using a meat thermometer is a must.

MADILL: Now for any sort of ground beef, veal, lamb, chicken anything you’re looking for 160 degrees internal temperature. Now any of your whole cuts such as a steak or a pork chop or something along those lines you are looking at about 145 degrees. With your pork you bump that up to about 160 degrees.

Same with the poultry. Madill also has an important shopping tip.

MADILL: You want to make sure that the meat is the last thing that you pick up at the grocery store. Head to the meat department right before you check out and you go straight home and get them put into the refrigerator.

Happy and safe grilling. I’m Greg Martin and that’s today’s AgriBeef Minute.

Thanks Greg. Don’t forget Greg will be back each Wednesday with the AgriBeef Minute. Agri Beef Co - Real Families, Great People, Exceptional Beef. I’m Susan Allen.  

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