It is not a purchase or safety date. The date has been determined by the manufacturer of the product. A retailer may legally sell fresh or processed meat and poultry beyond the expiration date on the package as long as the product is wholesome. FSIS requires mandatory nutrition labeling for most turkey products except the raw, single-ingredient products such as turkey breast. Voluntary nutrition labeling on the raw, single-ingredient turkey product is encouraged.
Turkey provides a significant amount of protein as well as other nutrients.
Fat, saturated fat and cholesterol are also present, with most of the fat being in the skin. In 1992, the USDA approved a rule to permit irradiation of raw, fresh or frozen packaged poultry to control certain common bacteria on raw poultry that can cause illness when poultry is undercooked or otherwise mishandled. Only small quantities of poultry have been treated. Salmonella Enteritidis may be found in the intestinal tracts of livestock, poultry, dogs, cats and other warm-blooded animals, and inside fresh shell eggs. Salmonella infections occur when a person ingests live Salmonella bacteria, which then survive digestion and reproduce in the small intestine to numbers large enough to cause symptoms.