Turkeys: From Farm to Table

The road to Thanksgiving dinner began in May. Then, turkey producers set millions of eggs in incubators to meet the demand fro turkeys come November. After four weeks, a baby turkey is hatched. This 'poult' eats its way through abour 84 pounds of feed during the next 16 to 19 weeks, until it reaches market weight. Turkeys are not fed hormones.

In October, the Thanksgiving-bound turkeys travel the road between the farm and the processing plant. There they are examined by USDA food inspection personnel for visible signs of diseases. According to Susan Conley, director of the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, 'Turkeys are inspected for your safety, and the safety of inspected turkeys is excellent.'

After this initial approval, the birds start their journey through the plant. USDA inspectors are closely involved and inspect all the birds before they leave the plant on their way to your table. Once in the plant, the birds and their internal organs are carefully checked by the inspectors for visible signs of disease. Any questionable birds are pulled off the line for further scrutiny by a USDA veterinarian.

After washing and chilling, the birds are sorted by weight and graded. Although inspection for wholesomeness is mandatory, grading is optional for meat and poultry. Grade A turkey should not have torn skin greater than one inch, no pinfeathers, no bruises and no improper cuts with knife or machine. The turkey should be well fleshed out with no discoloration.

Turkeys continue through the system either as whole birds or parts. Those to be sold frozen are quickly put into freezers set at -10° F. Turkey to be sold fresh are quick-chilled to below 40° F. Throughout the processing various quality control checks are instituted by the plants and monitored by the USDA inspectors. Turkey producers want to provide consumers with the best product possible.

...To the Marketplace

Once the turkeys are inspected and packaged, they are shipped in refrigerated trucks to warehouses where they await distribution to stores. Warehouse temperatures are strictly monitored to ensure that no spoilage occurs. Temperature control is vital for raw poultry products.

While grocery stores have facilities for maintaining fresh turkeys at 28° F to 32° F, your home refrigerator, set at 40° F, may not keep a fresh turkey from spoiling for more than two days. If you want a fresh turkey, place your order with the meat manager or butcher who will hold it until you pick it up the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving. A frozen turkey may be kept at optimum quality up to 12 months in a home freezer.

On the Label...

Are all turkeys the same? Which is the best one to buy? Personal preference and storage limitations can often be the determinants when purchasing a turkey. An understanding of the following terms which often appear on labels of the various birds may help to make that decision easier. Before use, all labels must be approved by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

As you can see, some of these terms describe methods of raising, methods of slaughter, the addition of a solution to the bird or the internal temperature of the bird. They aren’t indicators of quality or nutritional value, which is about the same for all turkeys.

• KOSHER - may be used only on the labels of meat and poultry products slaughtered and processed under Rabbinical supervision.

• NATURAL - may be used on label if products contain no artificial ingredients or added color and is only minimally processed. Examples of minimal processing are cutting, grinding, canning, drying and freezing. The label itself must explain the use of the term “natural” (such as: “no added colorings or artificial ingredients” or “minimally processed”).

• FREE RANGE - A determination must be made by USDA at the time of label approval that the birds are permitted free access to an outdoor yard or other suitable facilities and that they are raised without antibiotics or growth enhancers. The company must also submit written documentation which substantiates the labeling and any claim that makes reference to the raising conditions of the birds.

• FRESH - never stored at or below 0° F. Raw products never frozen can be labeled “fresh” even though they may feel slightly crusty when you touch the surface.

• FROZEN - temperature of poultry is 0° F or below.

• BASTED or SELF BASTED - solution may be a butter or other edible fat, broth, stock or water plus spices, flavor enhancers and other approved substances. It is injected into the breast and legs of ready-to-cook poultry. Added weight of approximately 3 percent solution is included in the net weight on the label. Must be labeled with descriptive name and ingredients in solution (such as, “Injected with approximately 3% of a solution of ...”).

Not on the Label...

• ORGANIC - To date, FSIS has not allowed the use of the term “organic” on meat and poultry product labels because of the lack of consensus on what the term means as applied to animal products. For example, production standards are needed to ensure that medications, which are used on non-organically raised livestock, are not used in raising “organic” animals. Also, the “organic” animals must be kept separated from non-organically raised animals throughout production from the farm and up to and including slaughter, processing and packaging of meat products.

• CHEMICAL FREE - not allowed to be used on a label because it is a misleading term that implies chemicals are bad. In fact, everything is made of chemicals. By its very nature, muscle tissue is made of both natural and synthesized chemicals.

Adapted from: Food Safety and Inspection Service Information