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.

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Food Safety Information

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

 USDA Photo

Ground Poultry and Food Safety

Many supermarket shoppers have discovered the ease and versatility of cooking ground chicken and groundturkey, available either fresh or frozen. Although these poultry products have a milder flavor than ground red

meats, they can be substituted in ground meat recipes. Here are some answers to commonly asked questions

about ground poultry.

1. What is ground poultry?

A. There is no established regulatory standard for

“ground poultry,””ground turkey,” or “ground

chicken.” However, the regulations on “boneless

poultry” apply — the product is composed in its

entirety of the kind of poultry indicated and the form

of the boneless poultry must be labeled. The identity

of the raw material and the physical nature of the

end product is used in identifying “ground” or

“comminuted” poultry.

2. What cuts of poultry are permitted in

ground poultry products?

A. The National Turkey Federation (NTF) has

prepared guidelines for identifying “ground poultry”

with which USDA is in general agreement. In

essence, according to these guidelines, when a

product is labeled as “ground (kind)” (for example,

“ground turkey”), it is manufactured from whole

muscle material such as drumstick, thighs, neck, etc.,

with all components, e.g. skin and adhering fat, in

natural proportions, and the final product has a

“ground” form as it emerges from the processing

machinery.

3. How much fat is permitted in ground

poultry?

A. There is no standard regulating the amount of fat

that ground poultry may contain. However, since

meat and skin can only be present in no more than

natural proportions, the amount of fat contained is

self-limiting. In general, it is about 10 to 15-percent

fat by weight. A turkey carcass contains about 15%

skin and a chicken carcass contains about 20% skin

on the raw basis. NO EXTRA FAT MAY BE ADDED.

4. What does the color of the ground

poultry indicate?

A. Color may be an indicator of the type of meat used

in the product — darker pink means more dark meat

was used and a lighter pink means more white meat

was included (or skin was included). Color is a factor

of the part of the carcass from which the meat is

derived.

5. What are the labeling requirements for

ground poultry?

A. Producers are not required to identify the cuts of

poultry used for grinding on the label. If cuts are

identified, only those cuts can appear in the product.

Ground poultry can contain only muscle meat and

skin with attached fat in natural proportions, and not

other components, such as giblets. “Ground (kind)”

meat means no skin is included. A package that is

labeled “ground turkey meat” is just that — ground

muscle meat with no skin included.

6. Are nutrition labels required on ground

poultry products?

A. No. FSIS encourages voluntary nutrition labeling

on these products, either as a label on the package

or as point-of-purchase materials in the store. It is

not mandatory. Providing the nutrient composition of

these products, per serving, allows for product

comparison and determining its contribution to the

overall diet.

If a producer uses the terms “lean” or “extra” lean to

describe his products then a nutrition label must be

on the package and the information on the “Nutrition

Facts” panel must support this claim. (These terms

have been defined in the Nutrition Labeling and

Education Act of 1990.)
Food Safety Questions?

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Ground Poultry and Food Safety

The USDA is an equal opportunity

 provider and employer.

Revised August 2008

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

education purposes. However, USDA symbols or logos may not be used

separately to imply endorsement of a commercial product or service.

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.

7. Are safe handling labels required on

ground poultry product?

A. Yes, as of May 27, 1994, USDA began requiring

safe handling instructions on packages of all raw or

partially cooked ground meat and poultry products.

These mandatory safe handling instructions are an

important educational tool. The instructions provide

food handlers with critical food safety information

when it is needed most — during distribution, at the

point of purchase, and during preparation.

8. How should ground poultry be cooked,

stored and handled?

A. Ground poultry and ground poultry dishes should

always be cooked to 165 °F internal temperature as

measured with a food thermometer; leftovers should

also be reheated to 165 °F. Always wash hands with

warm water and soap. Wash utensils, counters,

cuttings boards and sink with soap and hot water to

prevent cross-contamination of cooked food with

raw products.

For safe storage times of ground poultry, see the

following chart:

9. How should ground poultry be used?

A. Ground poultry may be substituted for ground beef

or combined with ground beef in many recipes. The

important thing is that it be cooked safely. Ground

poultry patties, loaves or any combinations should be

cooked to 165 °F. After cooking, refrigerate leftovers

immediately. Separate into small portions for fast,

safe cooling.

10. Is ground poultry the same as

mechanically separated poultry?

A. No. Mechanically separated poultry (MSP) is a

poultry food product produced by high pressure

machinery that separates bone from poultry skeletal

muscle tissue and other edible tissue by first crushing

the bone and then forcing bone and tissue through a

sieve or a similar screening device. The result is a

blend of soft tissue with a paste-like consistency and

a cake-batter form. The final paste-like material, has a

physical form and texture that differs materially from

other boneless chicken and turkey products that are

deboned by hand.

In November 1995, USDA’s FSIS issued a rule

requiring labels to list mechanically separated poultry

as an ingredient in processed products such as hot

dogs and bologna as “mechanically separated chicken

or turkey” instead of simply “chicken” or “turkey.” This

requirement went into effect on the labels of products

that include MSP as an ingredient in November 1996.

MSP is a safe and wholesome food product with

nutritional characteristics similar to ground poultry.

Because of its cake-batter texture, it is ideally suited

for use in hot dogs, bologna, nuggets, patties,

sausages and luncheon meat-type products.

TYPE

Uncooked ground

poultry

Cooked ground

poultry

Storage Times

REFRIGERATOR

(40° or below)

1 to 2 days

3 to 4 days

FREEZER (0°

or below)

3 to 4 months

2 to 3 months