Vilsack: USDA working to ID tainted turkey source

MILWAUKEE -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the government hopes to find the source of a salmonella outbreak linked to ground turkey "very, very" soon.

Vilsack told The Associated Press on Wednesday that investigators are working with producers to identify a source and then will encourage the industry to issue a recall. The outbreak has been linked to one death and at least 76 illnesses.

The illnesses date back to March. Vilsack says the investigation is complicated in part because ground turkey can be in many products.

He emphasizes the key to safe ground turkey is cooking the food properly and reading the labels. If consumers have doubts, Vilsack says they should throw the product away.

Vilsack discussed the outbreak after speaking to an International Association of Food Protection meeting in Milwaukee.