Is Salmonella Killed During Cooking?

Salmonella infection occurs with the consumption of undercooked foods or foods that have been contaminated with feces. While it is the most frequently reported source of food-borne illness, preventing the spread of salmonella is easy.

Features

• Salmonella is a bacterium that exists in the feces of both humans and animals. The bacterium can be passed between the two.

Considerations

• Salmonella is most often found in foods of animal origin. This includes but is not limited to uncooked or undercooked beef, poultry and eggs. It is also found in both human and animal feces. Because of this, it can easily be spread to any foods that are touched by humans or animals that have touched feces.

Symptoms

• The symptoms of salmonella begin as moderate to severe abdominal cramps that begin anywhere from 1-3 days after contact or consumption of the infected food. Subsequent symptoms almost always include a fever and moderate to severe diarrhea that could require hospitalization if you become too dehydrated.

Prevention by Cleaning

• To prevent Salmonella, make sure that anyone who prepares your food washes his hands fully after using the restroom, cleaning up human or pet feces, or handling animals (especially reptiles). In addition, you must avoid cross-contamination of animal products (such as raw chicken) with other foods by storing raw meats in an airtight bag or container. Packaged raw meat should also be kept on shelves under foods that will not be cooked before consumption.

Prevention by Cooking

• It is imperative that you cook foods thoroughly until they have reached a safe minimum internal temperature that will kill Salmonella where it exists. Beef, veal, and lamb cuts should be heated to 145 °F; pork to 160 °F; ground beef, veal and lamb to 160 °F; egg dishes to 160 °F; poultry to 165 °F; leftover foods to 165 °F; fish to 145 °F; and soups and sauces should be brought to a boil before consumption.