Food Safety Guidelines
Foodborne Illness
Foodborne illness in the United States is a major cause of personal distress, preventable death and avoidable economic burden. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 2001 Model Food Code estimates that 76 million people become ill from microorganisms in food resulting in as many as 5,000 needless deaths every year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, foodborne illness outbreaks caused by the mishandling of food occurred most often within the retail segment of the food industry, such as restaurants, markets, schools, camps, churches and institutions, where ready-to-eat food is prepared and provided to the public for consumption. Viral pathogens are now the leading cause of these outbreaks.
It is a shared responsibility of the food industry and the government to ensure that food provided to the consumer is safe and does not become a vehicle in a disease outbreak or in the transmission of communicable disease. This shared responsibility extends to ensuring that consumer expectations are met and that food is unadulterated, prepared in a clean environment and honestly presented.
Indiana State Department of Health
The Indiana State Department of Health is authorized by law to ensure that foods are safe, wholesome and sanitary; regulated products are honestly and accurately represented; and, these products are in compliance with the state laws and regulations. The following rule, 410 IAC 7-24, Retail Food Establishment Sanitation Requirements, is designed to provide a more comprehensive approach to protecting the consumer from contaminated food and foodborne illness.
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MINIMUM COOKING TEMPERATURES AND HOLDING TIMES AT SPECIFIED TEMPERATURE (Indiana Guidelines) | |||
165°F for 15 seconds | Poultry and foods containing poultry; stuffed meat, fish, or pasta; and stuffing containing fish or meat; foods containing game animals. | ||
165°F for 2 minutes | Microwave cooking for raw animal foods: covered, rotated, or stirred throughout or midway through the cooking process and held for 2 minutes covered. | ||
158°F for 1 second | Injected meats; comminuted raw meat, fish, or game animal; and raw shell eggs that are not prepared for immediate service (pooled or hot held). | ||
145°F for 15 seconds | Raw shell eggs prepared for immediate service; meat, fish, and game animal not otherwise specified in this chart. | ||
158°F for 0 seconds | Roasts of beef, corned beef, pork, and cured pork: Note – holding time may include post-cooking heat rise. | ||
Oven Type | Roast weight less than 10lbs. | Roast weight more than 10lbs. | |
Still Dry | Oven temperature ≥ 350°F | Oven temperature ≥ 250°F | |
Convection | Oven temperature ≥ 325°F | Oven temperature ≥ 250°F | |
High Humidity (1) | Oven temperature ≤ 250°F | Oven temperature ≤ 250°F | |
135°F | Potentially hazardous food cooked for hot holding: fruits, vegetables, and potentially hazardous foods not otherwise listed that will be hot held. | ||
(1) Relative humidity greater than ninety (90) percent for at least 1 hour as measured in the cooking chamber or exit of the oven or in a moisture-impermeable bag that provides one hundred (100) percent humidity. | |||