October 11, 2007

LANSING - With the 2007 hunting season now underway, the Michigan departments of Agriculture (MDA) and Natural Resources (DNR) are reminding hunters and retail food establishments to follow food safety processing guidelines and how to prepare wild deer and game.

“It’s essential Michigan’s venison processors follow safe handling and processing protocols when processing wild game,” said Don Koivisto, MDA director. “Adhering to these food safety principles minimizes a processor’s risk of foodborne illness and exposure to animal health issues such as Chronic Wasting Disease.”

“Part of the hunting heritage in our state is the fact that when you are a successful hunter, you are providing food for your family to enjoy,” said Rebecca Humphries, DNR director. “I encourage all hunters to follow these guidelines and to seek out processors who are licensed and inspected by MDA so that food handling and processing is done in a safe manner.”

Custom venison processing provisions for MDA-licensed and inspected facilities include, but aren’t limited to:

General Storage and Processing

• Processors must inspect all carcasses prior to accepting. They must be identified with appropriate tags and free of signs of illness and visible decomposition or contamination.
• Venison products must be clearly marked, identified with name of owner, stamped "Not for Sale," and segregated from commercial meat and foods.
• Carcasses should be stored at or below 41 degrees F and conducted using "first in, first out" rotation.
• Rubber or disposable gloves in good condition must be worn.
• Processing of hunter-owned deer must take place after all commercial food handling has ceased to eliminate the potential for cross contamination of other food.
• All processing and handling equipment, food contact surfaces, floors, and garments must be washed and sanitized immediately after processing. Processing of commercial foods cannot take place until these activities are done.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) - Specific Precautions

• Minimize handling and cutting of brain, spinal tissues, and lymph nodes.
• Bone-out meat from deer, removing fat and connective tissue.
• Heads, legs, and other body parts, unless returned to hunter, must be properly disposed of in a licensed incinerator or buried in a licensed landfill.
• Deer taken from Wisconsin, Illinois or other Chronic Wasting Disease-positive areas must be processed separately after all other deer have been processed.

Feral Swine (Wild Pigs)

• Gloves should be worn when field-dressing feral swine, especially in the Northeastern Lower Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis area.
• If the lungs, ribcage or internal organs from feral swine look abnormal (multiple tan or yellow lumps), the meat should NOT be eaten. Take the carcass to a DNR field office for proper disposal to prevent disease transmission to other animals.
• All meats, including that of feral swine, should be thoroughly cooked to an internal temperature of 170 degrees F.

Other

Individuals who are not required to be licensed or inspected by the state, but are processing and preparing venison at private sites, should follow similar food safety practices, including:

• Washing hands, utensils, and food contact surfaces with hot, soapy water often, and especially before and after handling meat.
• Holding meat at or below 40 degrees F at all times. If meat will not be consumed or processed within three to five days, it should be frozen. Meat should be thawed in the refrigerator and never thawed at room temperature.
• Using a food thermometer when cooking meat to ensure the food has reached a temperature sufficient to destroy any harmful organisms causing foodborne illness. Both ground and fresh venison should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Information on deer handling or field dressing is available from the DNR by calling 517-373-9358 or visiting www.michigan.gov/dnr.

Additional venison food safety tips are available from your local Michigan State University extension office, by visiting MDA’s Web site at www.michigan.gov/mda and search for “venison processing,” or calling the U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline at 800-535-4555, or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Information Line at 888-SAFE-FOOD.