Inadequate cooking of large pieces of turkey, slow cooling, and insufficient reheating were cited as the contributing factors in an outbreak of Clostridium perfringens at a juvenile detection facility in California. About 40% of the detained juveniles and staff became ill after eating the November 18 lunch. Clostridium perfringens was not isolated from the remaining food, however it was isolated from several stool samples of case-patients. Clostridium perfringens outbreaks have often been associated with inadequately, reheated meats and gravies.