Raw turkey leaked in shopping bag - how to clean other groceries?
I bought some raw turkey drumsticks and put them in a plastic vegetable bag at the store. When I got it out of the grocery bag to put it in the fridge I saw that the shrink wrap had broken and the outside of the package was wet (inside the plastic vegetable bag). Some of my other groceries looked very slightly wet so I assume they could possibly have gotten a little turkey liquid on them. How do I clean them? I wiped the other groceries with vinegar using two different paper towels, I'm not comfortable using bleach on food though. Can I rinse the cucumber and oranges really well or is that not enough?
And is it safe to eat the part of turkey that was exposed? I assume the plastic film was too thin for heavy turkey drumsticks.
Best Answer
I would proceed considering the rest of your product was contaminated. That being said anything that was contaminated can still be brought to a temperature of 165°F to ensure safety. (Oranges can make a good sauce and cucumbers are great for pickling. Many other vegetable are great fully cooked.) I would not risk treating the surface as contaminants can spread. For this reason I always keep a separate bag for product I eat raw and a separate bag for product that could pose a cross-contamination risk.
As for the exposed turkey I would assume safety based on what you told us. Unless you believe the package was tampered with your biggest drawback to exposed turkey is the may drying out.
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