AboutCarol Schlitt Expertise I can answer questions on home food safety, sanitation, home food preservation and commercial food safety (HACCP).
Experience I am an Extension educator, nutrition, wellness and food safety. I am a certified HACCP manager and a food safety instructor for the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Organizations International Association for Food Protection, American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (Certified CFCS), National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, Society for Nutrition Education.
Education/Credentials BS - University of Illinois
MS - Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
Question If you are eating out and order chicken, how do you know if the chicken is bad? Once it is cooked how do you know if was bad before it was cooked?
Answer Hi Sarah,
This is a really good question. I'll try to answer it
Chicken has been implicated in several recalls lately for Salmonella, a bacteria that is often associated with poultry products. You can't see, taste or smell Salmonella so it's vitally important that all chicken you eat is cooked to at least 165 degrees. If chicken (or eggs) are thoroughly cooked, the bacteria is destroyed.
Chicken can also be affected by food spoilage bacteria. This would cause off flavors, color and texture changes in chicken. As you can probably figure, this form of "bad" is recognizable and most people would say that there is something wrong with the chicken and not eat it. Amazingly, food spoilage bacteria don't make you ill like food borne illness pathogens (like Salmonella). Food spoilage organisms are Mother Nature's way of telling you to not eat the food.
Once a food that had food borne pathogen bacteria - like Salmonella - is cooked, you may never know it was there as the Salmonella was destroyed by the heat of cooking. I can hear you say -- well just cook the chicken and it will be safe. I wish it were just that simple. The problem comes in that some bacteria produce a toxin (waste product) that is not deactivated by heat. In other words, cooking does not make it safe. Fortunately, Salmonella is not a toxin former so your best line of defense on ordering chicken is to make sure it is thoroughly cooked before consuming.
In the future, you are going to see meat packaged with indicators that will show the consumer if the meat is fresh and bacteria are within safe levels. When this hits your grocery store, you will be able to tell if your chicken and other meat products are within both the safety ranges for food spoilage and food borne pathogens. Until then, your best line of defense is to buy meat products from reputable sources, keep them cold (below 40 degrees) before preparing, cook until at least 165 degrees and then refrigerate leftovers quickly and consume within 3-4 days.
I hope this answered your question. If you should have additional questions, please let me know.
Carol C. Schlitt
Extension Educator, Nutrition and Wellness
University of Illinois Extension
