Reporting Foodborne Illness
Environmental Health Scientists investigate all complaints and questions from consumers regarding food service establishments. If you feel like you have become ill from eating at a Tooele County food establishment please click here (igotsick.health.utah.gov) to file an online report.
- File an online report about sanitation, food handling procedures or food served at a Utah food service establishment. Please fill in all fields as completely as possible. Any information you provide is completely confidential.
- To ensure that this report will be sent to your local health department, please be sure to provide your Zip Code on the following page. (Your local health department may follow up as needed to prevent further illness.)
- Health care professionals must follow the procedure listed in Utah’s List of Reportable Conditions (pdf) to notify the Utah Department of Health of certain foodborne diseases.
Please Seek Medical Advice
Contact your health care provider, especially if you are:
- Pregnant, elderly, have a weak immune system, or if the ill person is an infant. Any of these conditions put people at higher risk of getting sick if exposed to germs in contaminated food, and at higher risk of developing serious medical problems.
- Having severe symptoms such as bloody diarrhea, severe nausea and vomiting or a high fever.
Follow these four food safety tips to take the guesswork out of preparing your holiday turkey provided by Centers for Disease Control.
1. Safely Thaw a Turkey
Thaw turkeys in the refrigerator, in a sink of cold water that is changed every 30 minutes, or in the microwave.
A frozen turkey is safe indefinitely, but a thawing turkey must defrost at a safe temperature. When the turkey is left out at room temperature for more than two hours, its temperature can creep into the danger zone between 40°F and 140°F, where bacteria can grow rapidly.
2. Safely Handle a Turkey
Bacteria from raw poultry can contaminate anything that it touches. Thoroughly wash your hands, utensils, and work surfaces to prevent the spread of bacteria to your food and family.
Take Care with Leftovers
- Clostridium perfringens is the second most common bacterial cause of food poisoning.
- Outbreaks occur most often in November and December.
- Meat and poultry accounted for 92% of outbreaks with an identified single food source.
- Refrigerate leftovers at 40°F or below as soon as possible and within two hours of preparation to prevent food poisoning.1
3. Safely Stuff a Turkey
Cook stuffing in a casserole dish to make sure it is thoroughly cooked. If you stuff the turkey, do so just before cooking. Use a food thermometer to make sure the stuffing’s center reaches 165°F. Bacteria can survive in stuffing that has not reached 165°F, and possibly cause food poisoning. Learn more about how to safely prepare stuffing.
4. Safely Cook a Turkey
Set the oven temperature to at least 325°. Place the completely thawed turkey with the breast side up in a roasting pan that is 2 to 2-1/2 inches deep. Cooking times will vary depending on the weight of the bird. To make sure the turkey has reached a safe internal temperature of 165°F, check by using a food thermometer inserted into the center of the stuffing and the thickest portions of the breast, thigh, and wing joint. Let the turkey stand 20 minutes before removing all stuffing from the cavity and carving the meat. Learn more about safe minimum cooking temperatures and how to use and calibrate a food thermometer for turkey and other foods.
References
More Information
- Let’s Talk Turkey—A Consumer Guide to Safely Roasting a Turkey, USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Thanksgiving Holiday Resources en Español, USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Turkey Thawing Chart, FoodSafety.gov
- Turkey Basics: Handling Cooked Dinners and Leftovers en Español; USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service
- FoodSafety.gov
- Thanksgiving en Español
- Gear Up for Food Safety,[306 KB] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- CDC Food Safety, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention