With the recent surge in recalls linked to E

Does Cooking Kill E. Coli? What to Know After Multiple Outbreaks, Recalls coli outbreaks, you might be wondering how to ensure your meals are safe from the bacteria. Experts share their advice on safe cooking practices and preventing E. coli infection

With the recent surge in recalls linked to E

• Last week, there were two major food recalls for ground beef and organic carrots linked to two separate E. coli outbreaks.
• E. coli is a common bacteria, but consuming certain strains of the pathogen can make you seriously ill or even kill you.
• Heating food to about 160°F can kill E. coli, but experts say if you suspect a food may be contaminated, you should throw it away.

Outbreaks linked to E. coli have dominated headlines lately—from ground beef to carrots, more products are being recalled in connection with the pathogen, and dozens of illnesses have been reported so far.

While both recall notices urged consumers to get rid of the potentially contaminated products, the ground beef recall also came with a reminder to cook all meat products to a safe temperature.

So, does cooking kill E. coli? And, more importantly, is it safe to eat something that could be contaminated with the bacteria, as long as you cook it properly first?

Here’s what experts had to say about how heating food affects E. coli, plus what you need to know about avoiding an infection.

What Is E. coli?

Escherichia coli, or E. coli, is a common bacteria found throughout the environment, including in food, water, and intestines of people and animals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In fact, certain kinds of E. coli are considered part of a healthy gut and can aid in digestion and help protect the body from other harmful germs.

Even though most kinds of E. coli won’t hurt you, some can make you seriously ill or even kill you.

People usually become infected with these dangerous strains of E. coli by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water, or by having contact with infected animals, environments, or other people.

Symptoms of an E. coli infection can differ based on the type of bacteria, but symptoms generally include watery or bloody diarrhea, severe stomach cramps, vomiting, or low fever.

But one specific form of the pathogen called Shiga toxin-producing E. coli can cause a serious health condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can lead to kidney failure or even death.

“The Shiga toxin-producing E. coli that we’re seeing in carrots right now are serious pathogens,” Barbara Kowalcyk, PhD, associate professor and director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, told Health. “They can cause very serious illness and even death, particularly in children.”

Does Cooking Kill the Bacteria?

It is true that cooking food to a certain temperature can kill E. coli. This is why you may hear about safe cooking temperatures, particularly for meat—E. coli infections from ground beef are quite common.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code states that restaurants should cook ground beef to a temperature of 155°F for 17 seconds. But the CDC and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommend that people at home cook ground beef to 160°F, as this temperature kills E. coli quickly.

This is a fairly easy guideline to abide by—simply use a food thermometer inserted into the center of the meat to check the temperature, Darin Detwiler, PhD, author and associate teaching professor of food policy at the Northeastern University College of Professional Studies, told Health.

However, killing E. coli in contaminated carrots and other produce is a little trickier.

“Yes, you can cook carrots, but most carrots are enjoyed uncooked,” Detwiler said. The problem with eating carrots raw, he said, is that there’s no “kill step”—that’s a term used in the food safety world to describe something you do to remove a dangerous pathogen.

Still, if you cook your carrots to an internal temperature of 160°F, that should kill any dangerous bacteria, Detwiler said.

Carrots traditionally haven’t been a big source of E. coli outbreaks, but Detwiler said this is part of a growing trend of fruits and vegetables containing serious pathogens. The CDC already considers leafy greens a “major source” of E. coli infections.

“This is a bigger pattern we’ve seen over the last decade,” Detwiler explained. “There’s more and more produce that is impacted by this.”

How Can You Lower Your Risk of an E. coli infection?

While heating food to about 160°F can kill E. coli, food safety experts stress that this is not a risk that you want to take. In other words, if you have recalled carrots, ground beef, or any other product at home that could contain E. coli, follow recall instructions and discard it rather than trying to kill the dangerous bacteria yourself.

It’s also important to thoroughly clean anything the recalled food has come into contact with, including any food sitting nearby in the fridge and the refrigerator itself, Detwiler said. Taking these recalls seriously is key, he stressed.

“Everyone can become sick from a foodborne pathogen such as E. coli,” he said.

To prevent foodborne illness more generally, the USDA recommends people cook poultry and leftovers to an internal temperature of 165°F, fish and shellfish to 145°F, and beef, veal, pork, and lamp chops or steaks to 145°F.

Plus, the CDC recommends people follow what they call the four steps to food safety. These include cleaning surfaces and hands, separating foods to avoid cross-contamination, cooking foods to a safe temperature, and chilling foods properly in the fridge.

This story originally appeared on: Health News - Author:Korin Miller