FoodtopsyFrançais
Menu

Safe cooking temperature

In the body: Cooking to the safe internal temperature kills many of the bacteria that cause food poisoning.

Not rated by dose: a flag on 15 reviewed foods, among them Chicken thigh, raw, Beef steak, top loin, raw and Pork sausage, raw. The list below has a line for each of 19 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 reference value and where it comes from

Reviewed foods that carry it

15 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 19 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

  • Bacon, pan-fried

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade B

    How it’s rated

    Flagged for cooking: most bacon is sold raw and must be cooked through. Health Canada's chart does not name bacon; for pork, ham included, it gives 71 °C (160 °F).

    Intake: not applicable (flag) · Level in the food: 71 °C internal (agency guidance: pork pieces and whole cuts (bacon not named))

    Measured on: rule, not an occurrence

  • Beef liver, raw

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged for cooking: cook beef liver to 71 °C (160 °F). Health Canada's chart has no liver row; 71 °C is its figure for ground beef and for beef pieces cooked to medium.

    Intake: not applicable (flag) · Level in the food: 71 °C internal (rule (temperature))

    Measured on: Health Canada chart of safe internal cooking temperatures; no organ meat, liver or giblet row (raw page read 2026-10-23)

  • Beef steak, top loin, grilled

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged: cook steak to at least 63 °C (145 °F), medium-rare, the lowest doneness on Health Canada's chart. Use a digital thermometer in the thickest part, not touching bone.

    Intake: not applicable (process rule) · Level in the food: 63 °C internal (rule (temperature))

    Measured on: Health Canada chart "Beef, veal and lamb": ground meat 71°C (160°F); pieces and whole cuts medium-rare 63°C (145°F), medium 71°C (160°F), well done 77°C (170°F); mechanically tenderized beef and veal 63°C (145°F), turn steak over at least twice

  • Beef steak, top loin, raw

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged: cook steak to at least 63 °C (145 °F), medium-rare, the lowest doneness on Health Canada's chart. Use a digital thermometer in the thickest part, not touching bone.

    Intake: not applicable (process rule) · Level in the food: 63 °C internal (rule (temperature))

    Measured on: Health Canada chart "Beef, veal and lamb": ground meat 71°C (160°F); pieces and whole cuts medium-rare 63°C (145°F), medium 71°C (160°F), well done 77°C (170°F); mechanically tenderized beef and veal 63°C (145°F), turn steak over at least twice

  • Chicken breast, raw

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged: cook chicken breasts to 74 °C (165 °F) in the thickest part, using a digital thermometer; Health Canada's chart gives 74 °C for poultry pieces, breasts included.

    Intake: preparation guidance · Level in the food: 74 °C internal (agency guidance)

    Measured on: Health Canada safe internal cooking temperature, poultry pieces (breasts, legs, thighs, wings); whole birds 82 °C

  • Chicken liver, raw

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged for cooking: cook chicken liver to 74 °C (165 °F), Health Canada's figure for poultry pieces; a laboratory study found 70 to 73.9 °C enough for liver.

    Intake: not applicable (flag) · Level in the food: 74 °C internal (rule (temperature))

    Measured on: Health Canada chart of safe internal cooking temperatures; no organ meat, liver or giblet row

  • Chicken thigh, raw

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged: cook thighs, drumsticks and wings to 74 °C (165 °F) in the thickest part, using a digital thermometer that does not touch bone.

    Intake: not applicable (process rule) · Level in the food: 74 °C internal (rule (temperature))

    Measured on: Health Canada chart "Poultry including chicken, duck and turkey": Pieces, for example, breasts, legs, thighs, wings 74°C (165°F); Whole 82°C (180°F); Ground poultry 74°C (165°F)

  • Clams, cooked

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada 2025 · grade B

    How it’s rated

    Flagged for cooking: shellfish should reach a safe internal temperature, and clams that stay closed after cooking are discarded (Health Canada pregnancy page). Two figures are on record, 74 °C (165 °F) from that page and 90 °C for 90 seconds from PHAC's norovirus notices, and they are not reconciled.

    Intake: 100 g cooked (HC TRA I.3), one serving a day

    Measured on: not stated in the draft

  • Cod, raw

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged for cooking: Health Canada's cooking chart gives 70 °C (158 °F) internal temperature for fish.

    Intake: internal temperature at the thickest part · Level in the food: 70 °C internal (agency guidance: fish 70 C (158 F) internal)

    Measured on: Health Canada, Safe cooking temperatures, page published 2024-06-04

  • Farmed salmon, raw

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged for cooking: Health Canada's cooking chart gives 70 °C (158 °F) internal temperature for fish.

    Intake: internal temperature at the thickest part · Level in the food: 70 °C internal (agency guidance: fish 70 C (158 F) internal)

    Measured on: Health Canada, Safe cooking temperatures, page published 2024-06-04

  • Ground beef, 80% lean, cooked

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged: cooking temperature decides safety. Cook ground beef to 71 °C (160 °F) in the thickest part. Health Canada's chart gives ground meat a single temperature, with no rare or medium-rare option the way a steak has. Use a digital thermometer.

    Intake: not applicable (process rule) · Level in the food: 71 °C internal (rule (temperature))

    Measured on: Health Canada chart "Beef, veal and lamb": ground meat 71°C (160°F); pieces and whole cuts medium-rare 63°C (145°F), medium 71°C (160°F), well done 77°C (170°F); mechanically tenderized beef and veal 63°C (145°F), turn steak over at least twice

  • Ground beef, 80% lean, raw

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged: cooking temperature decides safety. Cook ground beef to 71 °C (160 °F) in the thickest part. Health Canada's chart gives ground meat a single temperature, with no rare or medium-rare option the way a steak has. Use a digital thermometer.

    Intake: not applicable (process rule) · Level in the food: 71 °C internal (rule (temperature))

    Measured on: Health Canada chart "Beef, veal and lamb": ground meat 71°C (160°F); pieces and whole cuts medium-rare 63°C (145°F), medium 71°C (160°F), well done 77°C (170°F); mechanically tenderized beef and veal 63°C (145°F), turn steak over at least twice

  • Ground turkey, 93% lean, raw

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged for a cooking warning: Health Canada advises cooking ground poultry, including turkey burgers, meatballs and sausages, to an internal temperature of 74 °C (165 °F); poultry pieces also need 74 °C.

    Intake: internal temperature at the thickest part · Level in the food: 74 °C internal (agency guidance (ground poultry, including turkey; poultry pieces also 74 C) (74 °C internal))

    Measured on: Health Canada, Safe cooking temperatures, page published 2024-06-04

  • Mussels, cooked

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada 2025 · grade B

    How it’s rated

    Flagged for cooking: shellfish should reach a safe internal temperature, and shells that stay closed after cooking are discarded (Health Canada's pregnancy page). Two figures appear in the sources and they differ: 74 °C (165 °F) from that page and 90 °C for 90 seconds from PHAC's notices.

    Intake: 100 g cooked (HC TRA I.3), one serving a day

    Measured on: not stated in the draft

  • Pork chop, raw

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged for a cooking warning: Health Canada advises cooking pork, including bone-in chops, boneless loin chops and ground pork, to an internal temperature of 71 °C at the thickest part.

    Intake: internal temperature at the thickest part · Level in the food: 71 °C internal (agency guidance (pieces and whole cuts, including bone-in chops and boneless loin chops; ground pork also 71 C) (71 °C internal))

    Measured on: Health Canada, Safe cooking temperatures, page published 2024-06-04

  • Pork sausage, pan-fried

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged: cooking temperature decides safety. Cook pork sausage to 71 °C (160 °F) in the thickest part (hot dogs 74 °C). Health Canada's chart lists sausages under ground pork.

    Intake: not applicable (process rule) · Level in the food: 71 °C internal (rule (temperature))

    Measured on: Health Canada chart, Pork: "Ground pork, for example, burgers, meatballs, sausages" 71°C (160°F); Hot dogs 74°C (165°F)

  • Pork sausage, raw

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged: cooking temperature decides safety. Cook pork sausage to 71 °C (160 °F) in the thickest part (hot dogs 74 °C). Health Canada's chart lists sausages under ground pork.

    Intake: not applicable (process rule) · Level in the food: 71 °C internal (rule (temperature))

    Measured on: Health Canada chart, Pork: "Ground pork, for example, burgers, meatballs, sausages" 71°C (160°F); Hot dogs 74°C (165°F)

  • Shrimp, cooked

    Worth knowing

    Health Canada, safe cooking temperatures · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Flagged for cooking: Health Canada's cooking chart gives 74 °C (165 °F) for shellfish and crustaceans, shrimp included. This food is already cooked; the figure applies when you cook raw shrimp, and leftovers are reheated to 74 °C.

    Intake: not applicable (flag) · Level in the food: 74 °C internal (agency guidance: shellfish)

    Measured on: not stated in the draft

  • Chicken thigh, roasted

    Context

    Health Canada, Food safety tips for leftovers · grade A

    How it’s rated

    Bought cooked: keep it out of the danger zone (4 to 60 °C). Health Canada: throw away cooked food left at room temperature for more than two hours, eat refrigerated leftovers within 2 to 3 days, and reheat leftovers to 74 °C (165 °F). Cooking raw thighs at home: 74 °C in the thickest part.

    Intake: not applicable (process rule)

    Measured on: Health Canada food safety tips for leftovers: throw away cooked food left at room temperature for more than 2 hours, eat refrigerated leftovers within 2 to 3 days, reheat to 74 °C (165 °F); poultry pieces are cooked to 74 °C (165 °F).

Sources