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E. coli O157 in undercooked ground meat

In the body: Can bring watery or bloody diarrhea and, in rare cases, kidney failure.

Not rated by dose: a flag on 2 reviewed foods, among them Beef steak, top loin, raw and raw ground beef. The list below has a line for each of 4 preparations.

Depends how you handle it. Safe one way, risky another: cook it, soak it, boil it or freeze it, as the agency says.

All hazards

The agency’s handling rule, not an intake limit

The agency’s rule for handling the food so the hazard doesn’t survive, such as a cooking temperature: not an amount you eat. No food on this page is counted against it.

Reviewed foods that carry it

2 reviewed foods carry it; none is rated by dose. A food counts once, as in the foods list: preparations sharing a page (raw and cooked, canned) count once; one with its own page counts apart. Below, one line for each of 4 preparations.

How often you can eat it

No food here is rated by dose. Each line says why it’s listed: a flag for the people the source names, advice on handling it, or context.

Flags and context, not rated by dose

  • Beef steak, top loin, grilled

    Worth knowing

    CFIA 2018 · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged for undercooking: preparation decides the risk, so no grams limit applies. Health Canada's chart gives steaks and roasts 63°C (145°F) for medium-rare, 71°C (160°F) for medium and 77°C (170°F) for well done; mechanically tenderized beef and veal 63°C (145°F), with the steak turned over at least twice; ground meat 71°C (160°F). Tenderizing can carry bacteria from the surface into the centre of the meat, where they are more likely to survive cooking. CFIA found E. coli O157:H7 in none of 975 retail mechanically tenderized steaks.

    Intake: not applicable (a handling hazard, not a dose)

    Measured on: CFIA targeted survey 2018-19 (1 Apr 2018 to 31 Mar 2019): MECHANICALLY TENDERIZED beef steaks, raw, retail, 11 Canadian cities; generic E. coli above 100 MPN or CFU/g in 3 (0.3%); 99.7% (973 of 975) assessed satisfactory

  • Beef steak, top loin, raw

    Worth knowing

    CFIA 2018 · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged for undercooking: preparation decides the risk, so no grams limit applies. Health Canada's chart gives steaks and roasts 63°C (145°F) for medium-rare, 71°C (160°F) for medium and 77°C (170°F) for well done; mechanically tenderized beef and veal 63°C (145°F), with the steak turned over at least twice; ground meat 71°C (160°F). Tenderizing can carry bacteria from the surface into the centre of the meat, where they are more likely to survive cooking. CFIA found E. coli O157:H7 in none of 975 retail mechanically tenderized steaks.

    Intake: not applicable (a handling hazard, not a dose)

    Measured on: CFIA targeted survey 2018-19 (1 Apr 2018 to 31 Mar 2019): MECHANICALLY TENDERIZED beef steaks, raw, retail, 11 Canadian cities; generic E. coli above 100 MPN or CFU/g in 3 (0.3%); 99.7% (973 of 975) assessed satisfactory

  • Ground beef, 80% lean, cooked

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, Hamburger safety tips · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Safe if the thickest part reaches 71 C (160 F); colour is not a reliable test

    Intake: not applicable (flag)

    Measured on: acute, preparation-dependent

  • Ground beef, 80% lean, raw

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, Hamburger safety tips · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged for undercooking: cook ground beef until the thickest part reaches 71 °C (160 °F). Colour is not a reliable test, so use a digital thermometer.

    Intake: not applicable (flag)

    Measured on: acute, preparation-dependent

Sources