Purpose: To determine food thermometer use among U.S. consumers to check the doneness of poultry and to quantify barriers to thermometer use.
Methods: A total of 1,504 U.S. adults completed a nationally representative Web-based survey. All respondents had primary or shared responsibility for household grocery shopping and had prepared raw poultry and eggs in the past 30 days. A subset (n = 465) had prepared raw, ground poultry in the past 3 months.
Results: Sixty-two percent of consumers own a food thermometer. Of owners, the majority use a food thermometer to check the doneness of whole turkeys (73.2%) and whole chickens (56.7%). However, few consumers use one to measure the internal temperature of smaller cuts of poultry; 12-26%, depending on the cut or type of poultry. Several respondents reported, “I never thought to use one” when cooking smaller cuts of poultry (28.7%) or dishes made with ground poultry, such as meatloaf or patties (37.6%). Instead, respondents reported relying on other methods for determining doneness, like the internal color of meat (21-68%) or cooking time (46-57%). Almost half of all respondents reported they had little or no confidence they could “correctly use a food thermometer to determine if poultry is cooked to a safe temperature.”
Significance: Evidence-based consumer education materials that can help reduce foodborne disease caused by Salmonella and Campylobacter are critically needed. Findings from this study will inform the development of a multifaceted, consumer intervention that includes interactive Web site, game, and mobile app and Extension educational curriculum.