WASHINGTON (The New York Times News Service) -- Federal food safety officials say fears of a worldwide bird-flu outbreak won't stop them from feasting on Thanksgiving turkey because cooked fowl is safe to eat.

Even so, several fast food chains, keenly aware that a possible flu pandemic might affect some appetites, are taking steps to reassure Americans that it's safe to eat their chicken.

Bird flu has been detected in poultry flocks in Asia and Eastern Europe but hasn't shown up in U.S. farms.

Even if it did, "No human cases of avian influenza have been confirmed from eating properly prepared poultry," said Richard Raymond, the under secretary for food safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Cooking is the key, Raymond said, because the heat kills any infection.

'A high enough temperature will destroy bacteria and viruses in poultry products," he said.

Whole birds, legs, thighs and wings should be cooked so that the internal temperature is at least 185 degrees Fahrenheit, he said.

Avian flu -- also known as bird flu -- is primarily an animal disease circulating in birds in Asia and Eastern Europe. In its current form, it spreads from birds to people -- 130 people have been infected and 67 have died -- but it doesn't spread easily from human to human. There have been no reported cases of avian flu in people or birds in the United States.

In case the disease spreads to U.S. poultry flocks, KFC -- the chicken chain -- will be ready with a media campaign designed to reassure consumers that their food won't be affected, said Jonathan Blum, a senior vice president of Yum! Brands Inc., parent of the KFC chain.

"We are going to keep the campaign on the shelf and hope we'll never have to use it," Blum said. "But if we do, at least we'll be prepared."

"It is certainly a significant issue because we want to maintain public confidence in flock health and food safety," Blum said.

Scientists and government officials worry that the bird flu could mutate into a form that could jump the species barrier and spread rapidly from person to person and around the globe. But that kind of spread might never happen.

Avian flu can be transmitted to people through direct contact with infected poultry, their feces and through secretions from the nose, mouth and eyes. The most common form of bird-to-bird transmission is contact with infected feces.

Steve Anderson, president of the National Restaurant Association, said avian flu overseas "is not affecting the American restaurant industry and food supply."

To ensure it stays that way, Anderson said his association is conducting study groups, holding meetings and conference calls to anticipate how Americans might react to an avian flu outbreak in the United States.

Chick-fil-A, a privately owned restaurant chain, has taken "significant steps" to prepare for an outbreak, said Don Perry, a senior vice president, by explaining avian flu to its employees so they will be ready to deal with customers' questions.

When the restaurant chain held a poultry summit with its key suppliers in October, bird flu was a main topic of discussion, he said.

Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits, another national chain, has created an avian flu task force to assess risks for potential impact on its business and to formulate an effective response, Alicia Thompson, a company spokeswoman, said in a statement.

"Popeyes is working closely with its suppliers, industry experts and governmental agencies to monitor avian flu," the statement said.

So far, poultry sales don't seem to be suffering and "there is no reason why they should be," Blum said. For now, he said avian flu is just "causing loss of productivity for people going to meetings."

Copyright 2005 The New York Times News Service. All rights reserved.