Products / Food Safety

General handling guidelines for raw, fresh poultry that has been frozen.
	If buying fresh poultry, make sure the package is clean, cold, sealed tight without rips or leaks, sold from a refrigerated poultry case and within the proper date.
	If buying frozen poultry, make sure it is also clean, packaged well and rock-solid to the touch.
	Refrigerate or freeze poultry quickly after purchase, if possible within half an hour.
	Defrost chicken or turkey in the refrigerator, not on the counter, allowing a few hours to a full day depending on size.
	Don't cross-contaminate. Raw turkey and chicken should never come in contact with other foods, especially fruit and vegetables.
	Do not rinse poultry. Cross contamination is more likely to occur with rinsing.
	Serve poultry as soon as possible and refrigerate leftovers within two hours.
	Protect raw poultry from other foods. We don't recommend unwrapping a poultry package before you're ready to cook, however, we do suggest overwrapping the package in plastic wrap, or placing it on a plate as it thaws.
	Take note of appearance, touch and smell. The product should not be eaten if it appears gray, feels slimy or smells sour. When in doubt, throw it out.
	It's OK to go from freezer to oven. You don't need to defrost poultry before cooking. All you have to do is increase the cooking to 1 ½ times the recommended cooking time.
	Cook poultry the day it completely thaws.