Research by the Food and Drug Administration shows a healthy uptick in the ownership and use of food thermometers in U.S. households, but there is plenty of room for improvement — especially in the cooking of hamburgers.
Food safety research has shown that the use of a food thermometer is the best way to ensure that meat, poultry, and other foods reach an internal temperature sufficient to destroy foodborne pathogens.
People are far more apt to use a thermometer on a roast or chicken than on hamburgers, which must be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees to kill E. coli O157:H7 and other types of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). Contrary to popular belief, the color of hamburger is not a reliable indicator of doneness.
FDA Food Safety Surveys were used by FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition to analyze changes in food thermometer ownership and usage in 1998, 2001, 2006 and 2010. Recently published findings from these surveys show the percentage of consumers who own food thermometers has increased from 49 percent in 1998 to 70 percent in 2010. The use of food thermometers has also increased over this time period but varies by food type.
Of those who own food thermometers, 76 percent reported using thermometers for roasts in 1998 versus 82 percent in 2010. For chicken parts, usage stood at 33 percent in 1998 and rose to 53 percent in 2010. For hamburgers, usage for hamburgers was 14 percent in 1998 and 23 percent in 2010.
The results also show that men and those 65 years and older were more likely to own food thermometers. After controlling for food thermometer ownership, those aged 18 to 29 years were more likely to use a food thermometer for roasts and chicken parts than those aged 65 to 101 years. The results suggest that educational programs encouraging food thermometer usage should focus first on food thermometer ownership.
The FDA advises the following internal temperatures:
- Cook beef, veal, and lamb roasts and steaks to at least 145° F.
- Cook ground beef, veal, lamb, and pork to at least 160° F.
- Cook ground poultry to 165° F.
- Cook all poultry to minimal safe internal temperature of 165° F.
- Cook pork to an internal temperature of 145° F, with a 3 minute rest time.
