Empire chicken hit with Salmonella alert

UPDATED WED 11 AM

A “public health alert” invoving raw Empire kosher chickens was announced by the Department of Agriculture “out of an abundance of caution due to concerns about Salmonella illnesses.”

The agency said it found “a potential link” between the Empire products and an “illness cluster” affecting “multiple” patients between last September and June.

The agency urged consumers who may still have raw products from that period in their freezers “to properly handle” them.

An Empire spokeswoman emphasized that its chicken was not being recalled and “is safe to consume when stored, handled, and cooked properly.”

“You can remove all bacteria from raw poultry through proper cooking to a minimum of 165 degrees Fahrenheit as measured with a thermometer at the thickest part,” she said.

Story updated to include Empire comments.