Food Safety
Knowledge gap among public on meat cooking and safety 17 Jun 2009
A new poll reveals a significant knowledge gap among the public about meat and poultry handling, cooking and safety.
Only a third (34 percent) of Americans correctly answered that a hamburger is ready to eat when the internal temperature has reached 160 degrees F. One in five said that checking the middle of the hamburger to ensure that it is brown is the best approach - a practice experts say is not an accurate indicator that a burger is thoroughly cooked. Likewise, 18 percent wrongly said that checking to see if juices run clear ensures food safety.
The poll, which surveyed 1,000 Americans in May, found that many misconceptions remain, particularly when it comes to preparing and storing raw meat and poultry products.
AMI's survey found that men are much more likely than women to know how to identify when a hamburger is thoroughly cooked. While four in ten (41 percent) men know that the internal temperature of a hamburger must reach 160 degrees F before it can be consumed, only 26 percent of women knew this fact.
Overall, younger Americans are less knowledgeable about proper meat preparation than older generations, the survey found. Only 16 percent of 18-29 year olds know to check the internal temperature of a burger.
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