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Script: Is It Done Yet? |
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Intro:
Welcome to USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service
Food Safety at home podcast series. These podcasts were
designed with you in mind - the consumer - who purchases and
prepares meat, poultry and processed meat, poultry and processed
egg products for your family and friends.
Each episode will bring you a different food safety topic ranging
from safe storage, handling, and preparation of meat, poultry and
processed egg products to the importance of keeping foods safe
during a power outage.
So sit back, turn up the volume and listen in.
Host:
Welcome to "Food Safety at Home." Hello, I'm Gertie Hurley,
from the Food Safety Education Staff of FSIS. I am your host for
this week’s segment. Today we will talk about the FSIS "Is it done
yet? Campaign.
But first, this public service message from the campaign.
Radio commercial script: USDA-Is-It_Done-Yet? Food Thermometer Use
(:30)
Host:
With me today is Kathy Bernard from the USDA meat and poultry
hotline.
Kathy, tell us a little bit about the "Is It Done Yet?" campaign.
Guest:
Gertie, "Is it Done Yet?" is a nationwide food
thermometer education campaign to encourage consumers to use a
food thermometer when they cook meat, poultry, and egg products.
Studies have shown that 1 out of 4 hamburgers turn brown before
it’s cooked to the safe minimum internal temperature of 160 °F.
You really can't tell by looking. The only way to be sure your
food is safely cooked is to use a food thermometer.
Host:
What kinds of food thermometers are there?
Guest:
That’s a good question. There are a number of food thermometers
that are user-friendly. Large dial thermometers for cooking large
cuts of meat can be left in the food during cooking. There are
also easy to use digital and small dial thermometers that you can
also use to check the temperature of the food while it cooks.
Then there are the oven-cord thermometers, electronic BBQ
thermometers, disposal one-time use temperature indicators, and
even remote thermometers that are easy to use!
Host:
Can you give us some tips on how to use a food thermometer?
Guest:
I’m glad you asked because there are so many food thermometers,
it’s important to follow the directions for the thermometer that
you’re using. Basically, you insert a clean food thermometer into
the thickest part of the food. Make sure it does not touch bone,
fat, or gristle. It only takes a few seconds of your time! Just
seconds . . . To keep your family and your guests safe!
Host:
What are some important temperatures to remember?
Guest:
USDA recommends cooking ground beef to a safe minimum internal
temperature of 160 °F.
Other meats such as: beef, veal and lamb, steaks and roasts should
be cooked to a safe internal temperature of 145 °f. Poultry,
casseroles and leftovers, should reach a safe minimum internal
temperature of 165 °F.
Host:
Where can our listeners buy a food thermometer?
Guest:
Food thermometers can be purchased at grocery stores, department
stores, or specialty stores. They’re usually found in the
housewares department, or at the meat counter.
Host:
And finally, what do you want us to remember about cooking foods
safely?
Guest:
I encourage everyone to use a food thermometer to test the
internal temperature of food to prevent foodborne illness.
Pass the word on to family and friends. In fact, be a role model
the next time you are the cook— use a food thermometer. For more
information, please visit our web site: www.isitdoneyet.gov.
That’s www.isitdoneyet.gov.
Host:
That's it for this week. We have been talking to Kathy Bernard
from the meat and poultry hotline, Food Safety Education Staff at
FSIS. Thank you Kathy. I am Gertie Hurley and I’d like to thank
you for joining us for this episode of "food safety at home" and
remember, “be food safe.”
Outro:
Well, that’s all for this time. Thanks for joining us today
for another episode of food safety at home!
For answers to your food safety questions call USDA's toll-free
meat and poultry hotline at 1-888-mphotline. That’s
1-888-674-6854.
You can also get answers to food safety questions online from our
virtual representative "ask karen" at
www.askkaren.gov .
Let us know what you think of this podcast by sending your
comments to podcast@fsis.usda.gov.
Thanks for tuning in.
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