USDA Gives Fresh, Stuffed Poultry a Dressing-Down

Stuffed poultry, stuffed beef filets and stuffed pork chops are marketed by some grocery stores as convenience items for busy cooks.

But what about the risk of food poisoning with such items?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline turns thumbs down on fresh, stuffed whole poultry, but isn’t entirely against some of the other products, said Susan Templin, a home economist and hot-line supervisor.

The depth of whole birds guarantees incubator-like conditions for bacterial growth, according to the USDA, which cites advance preparation as one of the most frequent causes of food poisoning.

“We don’t recommend any intact bird be stuffed ahead of time,” Templin said, noting the highly perishable nature of a previously stuffed item. “Our preference is to stuff a raw animal product just prior to cooking.”

Suzanne Dyer, spokeswoman for the Vons Cos. in El Monte, which sells stuffed fresh game hens and pork chops, said she was unaware of the hot-line stance. Products are stuffed by store personnel trained in food safety measures, she said. “We maintain strict case temperatures and proper product rotation to assure the quality of the products.” Consumers are advised to keep the stuffed products cold and to consume them within one or two days after purchase, she added.

Templin said frozen stuffed turkeys are considered safe because they are inspected by the USDA and flash frozen. Cooking them from the frozen state is advised.

“We recommend purchasing with caution stuffed pork chops and the thin beef filets rolled around a stuffing,” she said, noting that these products--as well as stuffed chicken breasts and veal pockets--are less dense and thus less susceptible to bacterial growth. The USDA does not recommend microwaving stuffed meat or poultry products.

The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline--(800) 535-4555--operates Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sleeping Pill Amnesia

Triazolam (Halcion), a commonly prescribed sleeping pill, is more likely to cause memory problems than temazepam (Restoril), another often-prescribed sleep inducer, writes a team of researchers in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Led by Martin Scharf, an associate professor of psychiatry and otolaryngology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and director of the Sleep Disorders Center of the Mercy Hospital, Cincinnati, the researchers tested the two drugs in three groups of people. Triazolam was given to 22 healthy subjects and to 22 insomniacs; temazepam was given to 30 insomniacs. Immediate and delayed recall were tested via a word list.

“Everyone on Halcion experienced some degree of memory loss,” said Scharf. In most cases, he said, it was not clinically significant. “But what we were struck with was the fact that at least one person (in both groups receiving Halcion) didn’t even remember being tested (with the word list).”

Impaired memory can be an elusive side effect, Scharf said. “It’s underreported because how do you (always) know you forgot something?” And memory problems are not always noticed by others, he added.

Godfrey Grant, a spokesman for Upjohn Co., which manufactures Halcion, said the company questions a number of the article’s conclusions. “Triazolam and temazepam were not directly compared. Each compound was compared separately to placebos in different subject populations.”

Grant said Scharf used data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Adverse Effects Reporting System that’s considered raw information, and that since Scharf’s study, the recommended maximum dose for triazolam has been reduced from .50 to .25.

Scharf recommends triazolam use be modified and increased awareness of its possible side effects. Physicians should warn patients of potential memory problems and consider the responsibilities of a patient before deciding on which sleeping pill to prescribe, he said. Triazolam may be fine for hospital patients who don’t need perfect memories during their stay, but not ideal for someone who is on call or trying to put in a full workday, he said.

For those taking triazolam or other sleep-inducing medications, Scharf recommends these guidelines on Halcion: “Don’t increase the dose on your own. Don’t combine Halcion with alcohol. And don’t take it if you’re in a position where you’ll be on call (for work.)”

All sleep-inducing medication should be considered a temporary solution, he said, best used for only a couple of weeks at a time:

Cholesterol Checks

Fourteen Southern California hospitals will offer free or low-cost cholesterol screenings Wednesday as part of a nationwide project of Voluntary Hospitals of America, a national network of not-for-profit hospitals.

Call (800) 634-9541 for a referral to a participating hospital. Some hospitals will charge $3; others will offer the test free, said a VHA spokeswoman.

Walking With Weights

Walking with hand weights is often promoted as a way to burn extra calories.

But using them may not be enough to justify dessert every evening, suggests a recent report in the journal Physician and Sportsmedicine.

After studying 11 obese walkers who swung 1-pound hand weights from their sides to hip level, the researchers concluded that if such exercise is done for 60 minutes three times a week, it would burn 3,700 calories a year more than walking without the weights.

“While this added calorie expenditure may have some beneficial effect if considered over several years of exercise,” write the researchers, “its importance for obese individuals regarding weight loss seems minimal.”

“Still, I think it’s worth doing,” said Tom R. Thomas, one of the researchers and director of the Exercise Physiology Laboratory at the University of Missouri at Columbia. Moderately to fit individuals can carry more weight and swing the arms higher, perhaps doubling the caloric expenditure, he said.

But Thomas cautions that hand weights aren’t for everyone: “Beginners shouldn’t use weights. And cardiac patients should probably avoid them unless they’re under direct physician supervision.”

Heart Drugs

Patients who can’t afford heart drugs may be eligible to receive them free, thanks to a program sponsored by G.D. Searle & Co., a Skokie, Ill.-based pharmaceutical manufacturer.

To participate, a patient must have a diagnosed condition helped by the drugs available, must be below the national poverty level and not be receiving drugs free or at reduced prices through a government program, said Searle spokesman Bill Vaughn.

Eligible patients can contact their physicians for information. Physicians may call (800) 542-2526 for details.