Are turkeys labeled ‘fresh’ REALLY fresh?
November 17, 2009
A friend of mine owns Dickson’s Farmstand Meats in New York City and shared with me a little known fact about Thanksgiving turkeys.
“There is a loop hole in the ‘fresh’ meat business for turkeys – a turkey can be kept brined and at 26 degrees and still sold as a ‘fresh’ (never frozen) product in the U.S., and a turkey held between 0 and 26 degrees (which is a frozen turkey) and then thawed does not need to be labeled as previously frozen. That Thanksgiving turkey you pick up at the local supermarket could be 6 months old!”
So if you want a truly fresh turkey, do some checking around with your local butcher shops, grocery stores or farms. If you are in New York, make sure to check out Dickson’s Farmstand in Chelsea Market – guaranteed to have TRULY fresh turkeys.
