Microwaving Frozen Meals Can Be Dangerous
October 8th, 2008 laurie
After last year’s pot pie salmonella outbreak, where ConAgra tried to blame consumers for not nuking their pot pies properly, this past Sunday the government issued a new warning urging consumers to thoroughly cook frozen chicken dinners. The Associated Press did a story about it, highlighting that most consumers aren’t aware of the risks to microwaving frozen foods.
According to the AP story, the government doesn’t track microwave-related food-borne illnesses, but every year more than 325,000 people are hospitalized for food-related illnesses. Last fall, hundreds became ill when Banquet pot pies made by ConAgra Foods were linked to a salmonella outbreak and frozen pizzas made by General Mills were tied to an E. coli outbreak. Both products were recalled, but not in time to save many consumers from becoming seriously ill.
Since then, food companies have revamped the cooking instructions on their frozen foods to ensure they are sufficient for killing off any dangerous bacteria, says Leslie Sarasin, head of the American Frozen Food Institute trade group. But preparing frozen foods safely may require a change in consumers’ microwave habits, too. In the latest outbreak, some of the meals were microwaved even though the products weren’t intended to be. While following directions helps, experts say the bottom line is that cooking raw food is still a job best left to stovetops, grills and ovens.
