USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854)

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health

agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring

that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products

is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

Food Safety Information

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

Giblets are defined as the heart, liver, and gizzard of a poultry carcass.

Although often packaged with them, the neck of the bird is not a giblet.

The heart is the muscular organ that pumps blood through the body of the bird.

The liver has numerous functions in digestion and absorption of foods. Its

primary function in digestion and absorption is the production of bile. Bile

facilitates the solubilization and absorption of dietary fats and the excretion

of certain wastes.

The gizzard is the mechanical “stomach” of a bird. It is located just after the

true or glandular stomach in the gastrointestinal system. Since poultry have

no teeth and swallow feed whole, this muscular organ, sometimes called

“hen’s teeth,” mechanically grinds and mixes the bird’s feed.

All poultry found in retail stores is either inspected by USDA or by state

systems which have standards equivalent to the federal government. At the

time of slaughter each bird and its internal organs are inspected for signs of

disease. The “Inspected for Wholesomeness by the U.S. Department of

Agriculture” seal ensures that the bird and giblets are free from visible signs

of disease.

In a poultry slaughter plant, giblets must be chilled to 40 °F or below within

two hours of slaughtering the birds. Each hour, plant employees sample the

finished poultry and giblets. The product is checked for conditions not

meeting inspection standards, and proper trimming to make sure all inedible

portions have been removed. Proper trimming refers to removal of the heart

cap, removal of the gizzard lining, and removal of the gall bladder. USDA

inspectors sample the product twice a shift to check for conditions that do

not meet inspection standards. Anything that does not meet inspection

standards is not used for human consumption.

No, inspection is mandatory but grading is voluntary. There are no grading

standards for giblets.

In whole ready to cook poultry, giblets are located in a bag in the abdominal

cavity. They will not be from the original bird. Giblets may also be purchased

separately as livers, hearts, or a combination thereof, and labeled

accordingly.

Giblets and Food Safety

Giblets (pronounced JIBB-letz; also GIBB-letz) are the heart, liver and gizzard of poultry. The word comes from

Middle English “gibelet,” which in turn came from “gibier” — Old French for “game.” The English altered the

word to “giberet,” and it formerly meant “a game stew.” Today many cooks use giblets to make gravy; others broil

or fry them to make appetizers or main dishes. Here is some background information about poultry giblets.

What Are Giblets?

How Are They

Inspected?

Are Giblets Graded?

How Are Giblets

Packaged and Labeled?

PhotoDisc
Food Safety Information 2

Giblets and Food Safety

Ready to cook whole poultry is required to be packaged with giblets and will

not bear a product name qualifier to announce the presence of the giblets

as they are expected. If a bird is labeled “with giblets,” it is optional labeling.

Whole poultry will contain at least half of each giblet. Parts of the giblets

may have broken off during handling or may be missing due to trimming.

Some are packed into the body cavity of the bird by hand and some are

packed by machine.

USDA allows poultry processors to use labels stating that giblets may be

missing — or, “without giblets” (commonly known as “wogs” in the poultry

industry). Giblets may be lost or broken or may have been pulled from the

processing line for not meeting inspection standards. Birds packed without

giblets are required to bear labeling that states the giblets are missing.

Likewise, the phrase “giblets may be missing” is a flag to alert the

consumer that giblets may not be present.

Normal poultry livers range in color from tan or yellow to deep mahogany

red. A yellow liver indicates a fattier liver. The color variation depends on what

the bird ate last and has nothing to do with the age or health of the bird.

Occasionally a liver may be a shade of green. Green livers are condemned at

the slaughter plant and are rarely seen by consumers. The green coloring is

due to bile leaching out from the gallbladder and into the liver. Bile is a

yellow or greenish fluid secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder.

Its function in the body is to aid in the emulsification and absorption of fats.

Green livers are not harmful if eaten but are removed and condemned in

the slaughter plant for aesthetic reasons. Sometimes the gallbladder or a

portion of it remains attached to the liver. It looks like a “green pill”. In the

plant the gallbladders are removed by hand or machine and occasionally

one is missed inadvertently. It can be removed in the home and the liver

consumed with no problems. It is safe to eat the meat of poultry

regardless of the color of the liver it contains. Remember the giblets are

not packaged with the original bird.

Giblets packaged separately from poultry are kept cold during distribution to

retail stores to prevent the growth of bacteria and to increase shelf life. Select

fresh giblets just before checking out at the register at the store. They should

feel cold to the touch. Place them in a disposable plastic bag (if available) to

contain any leakage that could contaminate cooked foods or produce.

At home, immediately place giblets (or poultry containing giblets) in a

refrigerator that maintains 40 °F or below, and use within 1 or 2 days; or

freeze at 0 °F or below. If kept frozen continuously, they will be safe

indefinitely. For best quality, use giblets within 3-4 months of freezing.

There are three safe ways to thaw giblets and poultry containing them: in

the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave oven. Never thaw giblets

on the kitchen counter.

REFRIGERATOR THAWING. It is best to plan ahead for slow, safe thawing in

the refrigerator. As a rule of thumb, whole poultry with giblets will take

about 24 hours for every 5 pounds of weight to thaw in the refrigerator. A

1-pound carton of frozen chicken livers will take about 24 hours. Raw

poultry and/or giblets defrosted by this method, may be stored in the

refrigerator 1 to 2 days. During this time, if giblets are not used, they can

be safely refrozen.

COLD WATER THAWING. Leave the giblets or poultry containing them in the

original airtight packaging or place in a leak-proof bag. Submerge the

product in cold water and change the water every 30 minutes to make sure

it stays cold. A whole 3 to 4 pound fryer with giblets should thaw in 2-3

What Color is Normal for

Livers?

Safe Handling of Giblets

Safe Thawing of Giblets
The USDA is an equal opportunity

 provider and employer.

Revised September 2008

Food Safety Questions?

Giblets and Food Safety

Safe Cooking of Giblets

Accidental Cooking in

Packaging

hours by this method and a whole 15 pound turkey will take 7 to 8 hours,

or approximately 30 minutes per pound. A 1-pound carton of chicken livers

should thaw in 1 or 2 hours. Once thawed, cook immediately.

MICROWAVE THAWING. Cook giblets and poultry containing them

immediately after microwave thawing because some areas of the food

may become warm and begin to cook. Holding partially cooked food is not

recommended because any bacteria that may have been present may not

have been destroyed. Foods thawed in the microwave or by the cold

water method should be cooked before refreezing.

Product dating is not required by federal regulations, however many

stores and processors voluntarily date packages of giblets and poultry

with giblets. If a calendar date is shown, there must be a phrase explaining

the meaning of the date. Consumers should use or freeze products with a

“sell- by” date within 1 or 2 days of purchase. If the manufacturer has

determined a “use-by” date, observe it. The use-by date is for quality

assurance, after the date, peak quality begins to lessen but the product

may still be used. It’s always best to buy a product before its date expires. If

a date expires after the giblets are frozen, they may still be used.

Traditionally, chicken or turkey giblets are cooked by simmering in water

for use in flavoring soups, gravies or poultry stuffing. Once cooked, the

liver will become crumbly and the heart and gizzard will soften and

become easy to chop. Cooked giblets should have a firm texture.

Casseroles containing giblets should be cooked to 165 °F. Stuffing should

also be cooked to 165 °F. Chicken giblets are commonly fried or broiled.

Leftovers should be refrigerated within 2 hours.

Some giblets are paper wrapped before being inserted into the poultry

body cavity. In this case, there would be no concern if the giblets are

accidentally cooked inside the bird to a safe temperature.

If giblets were packed in a plastic bag, and the bag has been altered or

melted by the cooking process, do not use the giblets or the poultry

because harmful chemicals may have leached into the surrounding meat.

If the plastic bag was not altered, the giblets and poultry should be safe

to use as long as the meat is fully cooked.

FSIS encourages the reprint and distribution of this publication for food safety

purposes. However, the included image from PhotoDisc, used under license, is

protected by the copyright laws of the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere, and may

not be saved or downloaded except for printing of this publication.

Ask Karen!

FSIS’ automated response

system can provide food safety

information 24/7.

AskKaren.gov

Call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

If you have a question

about meat, poultry, or

egg products, call the

USDA Meat and

Poultry Hotline

toll free at

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854);

TTY: 1-800-256-7072.

 The Hotline is open year-round

Monday through Friday

from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

ET (English or

Spanish). Recorded

food safety messages

are available 24 hours

a day. Check out the

FSIS Web site at

www.fsis.usda.gov.

Send E-mail questions to MPHotline.fsis@usda.gov.

Dating of Giblets