What You Need to Know About
State law requirements for
cooking some meat Effective January 1, 1998, there are new requirements in the California Uniform Retail Food Facilities Law (CURFFL) relating to the heating of some foods. Foods, including ground and chopped meat, pork, poultry, and eggs, now have minimum cooking temperatures that must be met to assure that these foods do not contain illness-causing bacteria like E. coli 0157:H7 and Salmonella. These foods do not always contain harmful bacteria, but there are definite risks in consuming raw or incompletely cooked animal tissue. Thorough cooking is the most effective way to kill bacteria that cause illness and even death in children, the elderly, and chronically ill persons. Ground, Chopped, and Flaked Meat
CURFFL Section 113996(a)(1) All ready-to-eat foods prepared at the food facility from raw or incompletely cooked animal tissue shall be thoroughly cooked prior to serving. For purposes of this subdivision, food shall be deemed to be thoroughly cooked if it conforms to the following requirements, except as specified in subdivision (b): (1) Comminuted meat or any food containing comminuted meat shall be heated to a minimum internal temperature of 69 degrees Celsius (157 degrees Fahrenheit), or an optional internal temperature of 68 degrees Celsius (155 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 seconds.
safety . (e) For purposes of this section, "meat" means the tissue of animals used as food, including beef, veal, lamb, pork, and other edible animals, except eggs, fish, and poultry, that is offered for human consumption. (f) It is the intent of the Legislature that the requirements of this section be uniformly enforced. The department shall train and provide guidance to local health departments to promote uniform enforcement of the requirements specified in this section. | |
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