What Temperature Should Food Be Cooked To?

The Food Standards Agency recommends that food is cooked to a core temperature of at least 75°C. At this temperature, harmful bacteria including Salmonella, E. coli O157, Campylobacter, and Listeria are killed almost instantly. An equivalent level of safety is achieved by cooking to 70°C and holding that temperature for two minutes, or 80°C for six seconds. These time-temperature combinations all achieve the same result: a sufficient reduction in pathogenic bacteria to make the food safe to eat. The critical word here is "core" temperature. The core is the thickest part or the centre of the food item — the last part to reach the required temperature. Surface temperatures will always be higher than the core, so measuring the surface of a piece of meat, for example, will give a falsely reassuring reading. You must use a probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the food to get an accurate core reading. For items like burgers, sausages, and rolled joints where the exterior surface has been mixed into the interior, thorough cooking throughout is especially important because bacteria from the surface will have been introduced into the centre. When reheating food, the same 75°C core temperature applies, and in Scotland, the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006 specifically require reheated food to reach 82°C. Food should only be reheated once. These cooking temperatures should be documented as Critical Control Points in your HACCP plan or recorded in the relevant section of your SFBB pack. EHO inspectors may probe-check food during service to verify that your cooking processes are achieving the correct temperatures.