Gobble, gobble: Is it safe to eat turkey?

By Christie Chen

In response to the avian bird flu spreading across Asia and parts of Europe, people in America fear they might have to change their menus for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Preparing for Thanksgiving, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Turkey Federation (NTF) held a news conference last month to ward off the public’s fear that a pandemic might strike the U.S.

Officials ensured consumers that the avian influenza has not affected U.S. poultry and that the government is taking necessary precautions to protect the consumers. They are increasing the testing of migratory birds from Asia and stocking vaccines for both poultry and human beings in case of an outbreak.

“If the government says it’s ok to eat it, we would eat it,” said Susan Conner, a local resident shopping at Wal-Mart. “My family eats turkey every year on Thanksgiving, and there is no reason to stop eating it this year.”

Conner said that even though she is aware of the avian influenza outbreak in Asia, she doesn’t think it’s necessary to overreact.

H5N1, the Asian form of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, has so far killed millions of poultry in Asia. As of November 2005 approximately 116 people felt ill after being in close contact with the diseased animals. As opposed to the free-ranged flocks in Asia and Europe, officials said that the majority of chickens and turkeys are raised in sheltered places in the U.S. Additionally, poultry houses are separated from human accommodations, where livestock do not have frequent contact with human beings and are kept away from contaminated water and wild birds. Officials believe this reduces the possibility of virus transmission and mutation, while allowing for a more effective quarantine if any outbreak is reported.

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“There is no danger of acquiring avian influenza from normally and properly cooked food,” said Michael Rybolt, manager of the scientific and regulatory affairs at the National Turkey Federation. “Avian influenza is caused by a virus. Like all types of viruses, it is destroyed by the heat of normal cooking.”

The National Chicken Council accounts for nearly 95 percent of the chicken sold in the United States. Its spokesperson, Richard L. Lobb, estimated that at least 99 percent of all poultry sold in the U.S. are produced domestically, if not in Canada. Additionally, Lobb said that the NCC does not import any chicken, turkey or poultry products from countries currently affected by H5N1 avian influenza.

“We have never had this particular form of avian influenza in the United States,” said Steve Pretanik, director of science and technology for the NCC.

USDA authorities published on their department’s website, “There is no evidence that low pathogenicity avian influenza can be transmitted to people by eating poultry. If high pathogenicity avian influenza (H5N1) were detected in the U.S., the chance of infected poultry entering the food chain would be extremely low.”

Nevertheless, they remind consumers to practice safe food handling and preparation, “Wash hands before and after handling food…cook whole birds to 180 F, breasts to 170 F, and keep a minimum oven temperature of 325 F.”