Cooking temperature (above)

Cooking temperature (above)

• A. 75°C
• B. 85°C
• C. 65°C
• D. 70°C

Answer: (A)

Cooking temperature is about reaching a high enough core temperature to destroy harmful bacteria so food is safe to eat. The minimum safe cooking temperature used in many HACCP guidelines is 75°C. Hitting 75°C ensures most common pathogens, like certain bacteria that cause foodborne illness, are inactivated quickly, helping to reduce risk even if the time at temperature is short. Temperatures like 65°C or 70°C fall short of this standard, meaning some pathogens could survive if the food isn’t held at the temperature long enough. Cooking to 85°C would also be safe, but it goes beyond the required minimum and can affect quality or energy use without improving safety beyond what 75°C already achieves. So, 75°C is the appropriate minimum target to ensure safe cooking.

Cooking temperature is about reaching a high enough core temperature to destroy harmful bacteria so food is safe to eat. The minimum safe cooking temperature used in many HACCP guidelines is 75°C. Hitting 75°C ensures most common pathogens, like certain bacteria that cause foodborne illness, are inactivated quickly, helping to reduce risk even if the time at temperature is short. Temperatures like 65°C or 70°C fall short of this standard, meaning some pathogens could survive if the food isn’t held at the temperature long enough. Cooking to 85°C would also be safe, but it goes beyond the required minimum and can affect quality or energy use without improving safety beyond what 75°C already achieves. So, 75°C is the appropriate minimum target to ensure safe cooking.