Answers to Quiz
Thank you for participating
and to increase your meat and poultry safety IQ
even 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.