BURGERS & MINCED MEAT
PRODUCTS


The law requires that cooked, high-risk foods are sufficiently heated to destroy food poisoning bacteria.

Burgers and minced-meat products rank among the most high-risk foods as certain bacteria are likely to be present in the raw meat. It is particularly important that these products are thoroughly cooked.

The most significant of these bacteria is E.coli O157 which has been a common cause of illness and outbreaks concerning undercooked burgers. E.coli O157 is a toxin producing bacteria which requires less than 100 vegetative cells to cause severe illness typified by acute abdominal pain with bloody diarrhoea, which can result in kidney failure.

Thorough cooking will destroy this bacteria.


COOKING

To ensure that foods such as burgers are thoroughly cooked, two methods can be used:
Check the core temperature of these products with a sanitized probe thermometer. The required core temperature at completion of cooking is a minimum of 75°C (or equivalent).
“Standardisation” - foods which are always the same shape, size and weight may be assessed, perhaps over the next few cooks, for a time/temperature setting combination, which ensures that foods are cooked to 75°C (or equivalent). This criteria can then be followed and only random checks using a sanitized probe thermometer will be necessary.

When used in open food probe thermometers must be sanitized before and after each use.

Digital probe thermometers are recommended.

It is recommended that records are kept of cooking temperature and of any assessment made for “standardisation” of cooking.


SEGREGATION OF RAW & COOKED FOODS

It must be remembered that frozen burgers and sausages are raw meat and that care must be taken when handling them.
Hands must be washed after handling frozen burgers, e.g. in the same way as any other raw meat.
Utensils should not be used on the raw item, and then on the cooked item, e.g. the same tongs used to put the burger on the grill, turn and remove the cooked burger.
Segregation of surfaces used for raw and cooked foods.



This Guidance Sheet contains basic information only. For more detailed and authoritative advice you should refer to the relevant Industry Guide to Good Hygiene Practice (price £3.60) available from the Environmental Health Department on 823000.



Page last updated on: 05/09/2007