Bird flu Poultry can be eaten

Bird flu: Poultry can still be eaten

24/12/2014

After the bird flu cases in Germany, there has been widespread fear that eating poultry could be dangerous. Especially now at Christmas many think about it, because among other things roast goose is a popular dish on the holidays. Experts point out that consumers should comply with certain hygiene rules.

No infection of people with the H5N8 virus known
Goose is a classic Christmas dish, but other poultry are also suitable for festive occasions. Consumers should always comply with certain hygiene rules when preparing food. This is not at all because of the bird flu, which worries many people. However, consumers currently do not have to worry about this fear when eating poultry. As the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, the federal research institute for animal health, recently announced, so far no infection of humans with the virus H5N8 is known worldwide. Therefore, one sees no consumer risk at the moment.

Health risks when preparing raw poultry meat
However, consumers should always pay close attention to kitchen hygiene when preparing raw poultry meat because of other health risks such as salmonella. Otherwise, such bacteria can sometimes cause severe gastrointestinal infections (salmonellosis) with symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. In a message from the news agency dpa, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment gives some tips on how to prepare.

Tips for hygienic handling of food
First, attention is drawn to the separation of food. For example, raw poultry meat should be kept separate from other foods and prepared. This applies in particular to foods such as vegetables and lettuce, which are not heated again. Furthermore, the experts will focus on cleaning the utensils. It is best to clean boards and knives that have come into contact with raw meat with warm water and detergent. Packaging and thawing water are immediately disposed of in the garbage or in the drain.

Cook meat at high temperatures
For safety reasons, turkey and poultry meat should always be thoroughly cooked at high temperatures. This means that it reaches a core temperature of 70 degrees Celsius for at least two minutes. In general, influenza viruses derived from birds are very sensitive to high temperatures. Therefore, well-cooked foods are considered harmless. When eggs are on the menu, make sure that the egg whites and egg yolks are firm. This takes at least six minutes, depending on the size. However, those who want to be on the safe side on the holidays, can also rely on vegetarian Christmas recipes, which can be found on various websites. (Ad)