What to Know
Meghan Markle has shared how much she loves cooking and entertaining on her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, but despite all her recent experience working with professional chefs, some critics are convinced she committed a major hygiene no-no while preparing Thanksgiving dinner for her family.
When Meghan shared footage of her holiday cooking process on Instagram, her followers immediately spotted the error she’d made, and apparently, it’s bad enough that they’ve dubbed her “Salmonella Sussex.”
Meghan shared a behind-the-scenes peek at her Thanksgiving prep.
Meghan, what in the ‘Salmonella Sussex’ is going on here?!🙄😂 https://t.co/dwB9SItlxm pic.twitter.com/Wwk6ENRRmY
— Hanz (@fashionistaera) November 29, 2025
The video, which has since expired on Instagram, showed Meghan seasoning the turkey before it goes in the oven with her bare hands, with the song “Turkey Chase” by Bob Dylan playing on the post.
“Let the ‘game’ begin,” she joked in the text on the video, adding, “Get it? #momjokes.”
She can be seen lifting the turkey up and rotating it so she can make sure to season all sides after stuffing it.
Meghan didn’t take her jewelry off before cooking.
As Meghan uses her hands to prep the turkey for the oven, it’s clear that she’s still wearing her jewelry, including a bracelet and at least one ring, while handling the bird without gloves.
After watching the video, critics couldn’t help but call her out for the move. “Meghan, what in the ‘Salmonella Sussex’ is going on here?!” one person on X asked.
Others didn’t hold back when it came to how they felt about her kitchen hygiene, either. “A gentle warning to anyone brave enough to eat at Meghan Markle’s place,” another poster on X wrote. “If hygiene is not a priority for you, then congratulations, you are exactly the kind of guest she is ready for.”
Experts recommend removing all jewelry before cooking, especially rings.
According to the site State Food Safety, it’s recommended to remove all jewelry (except for plain wedding bands) while cooking, since rings, bracelets, and similar accessories can lead to food contamination. Rings and other jewelry with stones and etchings can pose an even bigger risk, since there are plenty of nooks and crannies where germs can hide, and even washing your hands thoroughly can’t always get rid of them.
If you cook wearing gloves, you should still take your jewelry off — it’s easy for a stone to puncture the glove, causing the germs to spread anyway.
Maybe Meghan will take this criticism as a learning experience… or maybe we’ll see her make the same mistake again in the future. Either way, hopefully everyone at her table remained safe from contamination!
