There has been a rise in the number of cases of Salmonella Enteritidis across Ontario, and although the source is still under investigation, a contributing factor is believed to be improper handling of food in the home, including inadequate cooking of breaded, processed chicken products, such as chicken strips, burgers and nuggets.

Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Arlene King thought it prudent to remind Ontarians about the importance of properly handling and cooking processed chicken products.

She didn’t ask, WTF is salmonella doing in frozen chicken thingies that people cook in the microwave, she reminded consumers to properly handle and cook processed chicken products.

That was actually the title of her press release.

I’m all for the sensible tips like, follow cooking directions (if they’ve actually been verified and if they make sense) and treat uncooked processed chicken products as raw chicken, but why is a teenager popping a few chicken nuggets in the microwave after school the critical control point in the frozen chicken thingie food safety system?