Food Safety Quiz
To
increase your meat and poultry safety IQ
further, please read more about the
answers to the questions below.
1. The food safety
danger zone is between 40 degrees F and 140
degrees
F.
TRUE. Bacteria multiply much faster when held between 40 degrees F and 140 degrees F.
2: If a hamburger is no longer pink in the middle, it is safe to eat.
FALSE.
Color is not an accurate indicator of
doneness. Always use a digital food
thermometer to check the temperature.
3. Turkey burgers and hamburgers should be cooked to the same internal temperature.
FALSE Hamburgers should be
cooked to 160 degrees F while poultry burgers
should be cooked to 165 degrees F.
4. Muscle cuts like steak or roasts can
be eaten rare or medium rare.
TRUE. Muscle cuts that have
not been ground or pierced are sterile in the
middle. Searing the outside of a steak
and cooking the inside to a temperature of
approximately 140-145 degrees F is safe.
5. Frozen meat and
poultry can be defrosted on the
counter.
FALSE Defrost meat
overnight in the refrigerator, microwave or in
cold water. Meat can enter the
temperature “danger zone” when left on the
counter overnight.
6. Pregnant women and others with
compromised immune systems should reheat lunch
meats before consuming them.
TRUE. Listeria
monocytogenes, a bacterium that thrives in cold
environments and is commonly found is soil, in
drains of processing plants and sometimes in
consumers’ refrigerators, can survive normal
steps to prevent its presence on foods like
lunch meats, hot dogs and unpasteurized soft
cheeses. Experts advise reheating hot
dogs and luncheon meats to steaming hot before
consuming them during pregnancy of if you are
immunocompromised due to illness or advanced
age.
7. When grilling, it is acceptable to
use the plate that held raw meat to serve
cooked meat.
FALSE. Wash any plate, cutting
board or utensil that contacted raw meat in
hot, soapy water prior to using it with cooked
meat products.
8. Use separate cutting boards for
produce and meat/poultry products.
TRUE. A cutting board that
held raw meat can contaminate other foods cut
on the surface later. A single cutting
board can be used if it is thoroughly washed in
hot, soapy water between uses, but it is smart
to use separate cutting boards.
9. When cooking
meat or poultry with a thermometer, avoid
touching any bones, the grill, or the pan with
the thermometer.
TRUE. Doing
so can affect the accuracy of the
reading.
10. Nitrite
in cured meats is added for color, flavor and
food safety.
TRUE. Sodium nitrite has
been used as a curing ingredient in meats for
hundreds of years to enhance flavor and color
and is absolutely critical in preventing
botulism, the most deadly of foodborne
illnesses.
11. People consume more nitrite from
vegetables and saliva than from cured meats.
TRUE. Ninety three percent
of human nitrite intake comes from vegetables,
which contain nitrate, which is converted to
nitrite in the mouth.
12. Freezing food kills
bacteria.
FALSE.
Freezing only slows growth, but some bacteria
will survive.
13. You should let unconsumed or
leftover meat and poultry cool before putting
it into the refrigerator or freezer.
FALSE It’s important to get
your leftovers from dinner into the
refrigerator as quickly as possible.
Larger portions should be divided into smaller
portions and put in shallow, lidded containers
to lower the temperature faster. If left
out too long, the meat is subject to “danger
zone” temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F
where bacteria grow
rapidly.
14. When cooking
meat or poultry, the best place to check the
temperature is the center of the cut.
FALSE The best place to
take the temperature is in the center of the
thickest section of the cut. The thickest
part might not necessarily be the center of the
cut.
15. The prevalence of the pathogenic
bacteria E. coli O157:H7 on ground beef
products has increased in the last decade.
FALSE USDA sampling of
ground beef shows that E. coli O157:H7 has decreased
45 percent since 2000.