Duck – Is it safe to eat it pink?

With the recent upsurge in the popularity of serving duck, I have been asked several times in the last few months whether it is safe to serve duck pink. Pink in a duck breast is viewed as acceptable, perhaps even desirable by many, but salmonella food poisoning is most definitely not!

 

The good news is that the colour of duck flesh is not necessarily related to the safety of the cooked meat. The primary indicator of safety for all poultry is the core cooking temperature. Measured using a food thermometer in the thickest part of the breast or, if cooking a whole bird, in the area between the thigh and the breast, the core temperature should be 75^oC. It is possible to cook duck to this safe core cooking temperature and yet still retain some pinkness to the flesh.

 

Remember – as with other raw meats and poultry, duck is susceptible to Salmonella and in handling it, it is safest to assume it is contaminated. Salmonella (and other food poisoning bacteria) can be readily transferred by contaminated hands or equipment to ready to eat and cooked foods, so apply sensible precautions to avoid the risk of cross-contamination:

 

v  Store raw meat and poultry in clean sealed containers on the bottom shelf of the fridge, so it can’t touch or drip onto other food.

 

v  Make sure that the duck is prepared away from ready to eat foods and use separate equipment and knives.

 

v  Wash hands thoroughly after handling raw meat/poultry.

 

v  Ensure that the duck has reached a core temperature of 75^oC.

 

v  Food businesses that serve duck pink should make sure that they document cooking temperatures, to prove that a duck dish had reached a safe core temperature before serving. This will form part of their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Plan.