September 12, 2002
Genesee County Health Department Launches Food
Safety Education Campaign to Encourage Use of Food Thermometers in Meat,
Poultry, and Egg Products
Flint, Michigan – Throughout the month of September, the Genesee County
Health Department will be promoting the use of food
thermometers as part of a consumer food education
program. Food safety information and free food thermometers will be distributed
to clients of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Supplemental Food Program.
The campaign theme is: "It's Safe to Bite When the Temperature is
Right!"
"This food safety education campaign is designed to encourage WIC
participants to use a food thermometer when cooking meat, poultry, and egg
products. Using a food thermometer is the only way to tell that food has reached
a high enough temperature to destroy harmful pathogens that may be in the raw
food," said Ward Lindsay, Food Protection Program Supervisor, Division of
Environmental Health Services.
"Color is misleading and should not be relied on to indicate a safely
cooked product. Meat or poultry color can fool even the most experienced cook.
USDA research shows that some hamburgers turn brown in the middle before they
are safely cooked," Lindsay said.
The GCHD will introduce its new messenger, a costumed character named
"ThermyTM"
to promote the use of food thermometers in the home. "Parents and
their children, will soon see 'ThermyTM' at
our clinics as a reminder to use a food thermometer when cooking," Lindsay
said.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that less than
half the population owns a food thermometer and only a small percentage of
consumers use one often when cooking small foods like hamburgers, pork chops, or
chicken breasts.
Food thermometers help ensure food is cooked to a safe temperature, prevent
overcooking, and take the guesswork out of preparing a safe meal. "Food
thermometers are not just for checking the safety of a Thanksgiving
turkey," says Lindsay. "They should be used year-round, every time you
prepare hamburgers, poultry, roasts, chops, egg casseroles, meat loaves, and
combination dishes."
Lindsay said that there are a wide variety of reliable food thermometers
available in grocery and kitchen supply stores, and that many are inexpensive.
"They are high-tech and easy to use. Their cost is minimal when considering
your family's safety. This is especially true for people who are at high risk,
including young children, pregnant women, people over 65, and those with chronic
illnesses."
The food thermometer campaign is an education program created by the Food
Safety and Inspection Service, USDA. Funding for the free food thermometer
distribution program is being provided by a grant from the National Food Safety
and Toxicology Center, the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at
Michigan State University and MSU Extension. The Genesee County Health
Department is one of six jurisdictions in Michigan that received a grant of
$5000.00. Initial funding for the grant is from the Michigan Consumer Food
Safety Education Fund which was created through a surcharge on all food
establishment licenses in Michigan.
