# USDA Response on cooking chicken



## bmudd14474 (Jun 30, 2009)

As many of you know there is a debate about cooking chicken above other meats. I emailed the USDA and below is their response.

"Foodservice kitchens use a specific hierarchy of foods for refrigerator storage. They always put meat and poultry on the bottom of the refrigerator to make sure that these products don’t drip on foods that will not be cooked. 

For consumers we also recommend storing meat and poultry on the bottom of the refrigerator to prevent dripping, but for additional safety we recommend putting the product in a dish to contain any juices. Once you put these products in the oven or on the grill or in the smoker to cook, it really doesn’t matter which order they are in because all of the meat and poultry is going to be cooked.

If chicken drips on beef (or vise versa) in the smoker it is not a safety issue because the chicken and the beef will be cooked thoroughly and the bacteria will be destroyed. 

I hope this helps.

Sincerely, 
Meat and Poultry Hotline Webmaster 
To speak to a Food Safety Spe******t, 
call the Hotline at 1-888-674-6854 
e-mail: [email protected]
Food safety information is also available 24/7, by going to “Ask Karen,” our automated virtual representative at www.askkaren.gov. You may type your food safety question directly into the automated virtual representative feature."

Also remember that if your cooking beef under the chicken and are only taking the beef to 130 or so this can be dangerous. I am also waiting for a response from the FDA as well. Hope this helps.


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