INTRODUCTION: Over the years we have all heard advice related to food safety. Some of this advice rings true, while other guidance is just plain wrong. To help you protect yourself and your family from foodborne illness, we will occasionally be debunking these food safety "myths".  Brush up on safe food handling advice with Fight BAC!^®

MYTH: If juices run clear then meat and poultry is cooked to a safe temperature.
FACT: Although convenient and often tempting to use a visual test to determine if meat or poultry is thoroughly cooked, it is not accurate.  It is common, for example, for hamburgers to turn brown well before they are cooked to a safe internal temperature (160ºF).
ADVICE: Use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of cooked foods.  Make sure that meat, poultry, egg dishes, casseroles and other foods are cooked to a safe internal temperature. Check http://www.fightbac.org/content/view/93/2/ for a chart of temperatures.