Study - When cooking chicken, too many use risky practices

A study in Food Protection Trends found that people cooking chicken 1) did not wash their hands before serving or after handling raw chicken, 2) did not properly wash their hands with some not using soap, 3) washed their chicken even though that creates a cross contamination risk,  4) did not use a thermometer, and 5) when a thermometer was used, the still undercooked it.

Surprising....unfortunately not.

Food Protection Trends - Sept / Oct 2014Chicken Preparation in the Home: An Observational Study
  
By Christine M. Bruhn

Abstract

Poultry has been linked to foodborne illnesses caused by Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp.
This study reports on observed handling behavior when 120 volunteers prepared chicken and salad in
their homes. A food safety attitudes and knowledge questionnaire was administered to volunteers after meal preparation had been video recorded. In the questionnaire, consumers stated that they were knowledgeable about safe-food handling and had heard of people becoming ill from eating chicken. 

The video recording, however, revealed that personal hygiene was insufficient, with 65% of meal
preparers not washing their hands prior to meal preparation, 40% not washing their hands after
handling raw chicken, and 45% washing the chicken prior to preparation. Hand-washing duration was less than 20 seconds, and in one-third of the handwashing events, soap was not used. Most people
judged thoroughness of cooking by appearance.

When chicken temperature was taken, 60% of the cooked chickens registered 165°F or above.
However, 39% of households stopped cooking even though the internal temperature of the poultry
registered below 165°F. These results suggest that educational messages should focus on thorough
washing of hands with soap, not washing chicken, and using a calibrated thermometer to determine
doneness. To increase consumer protection, the poultry industry should adopt additional approaches to reduce pathogen levels.