Food Temperature and Safety

Temp (°F)	Food quality	Food safety
250 161 160 150 140	— — Beef medium done Minimum hot food Beef rare	Commercial sterilization, C. botulinum killed Milk pasteurization (15 sec) Salmonella 5D* pasteurization (5 sec) Salmonella 5D* pasteurization (50 sec) Salmonella 5D* pasteurization (7 min)
130	FDA mandatory beef minimum doneness Danger zone	Food is safe; Salmonella 5D* pasteurization (70 min); cool from 130 to 45°F (15 hrs)
127.5 115 97 59	Danger zone	Highest growth temp for C. perfringens Highest growth temp for Salmonella Salmonella, Staph. aureus multiply slowly C. perfringens begins to multiply
50	Danger zone	C. botulinum types A & B, Staph. aureus begin to produce toxin; cook food from this temp to above 130°F in 6 hours
44 41 40	Danger zone	Staph. aureus begins to multiply Salmonella begins to multiply C. botulinum type E begins to multiply Some pathogenic bacteria multiply once a day
38 30
28 25 15 0 -40	Food thaw — — — —	— Spoilage bacteria multiplies Molds & yeasts multiply Food enzymes & chemical rxns cause decay Long-term food storage

*Reduces Salmonella in wet food 10⁵ to 10¹⁰.