Which foods must be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F?

Cooking foods to the appropriate internal temperature is crucial for ensuring food safety and preventing foodborne illness. The correct answer indicates that seafood, beef, veal, pork, shelled eggs, and lamb chops should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F.

This temperature is important because it is sufficient to kill harmful bacteria and pathogens that may be present in these types of food. For instance, cooking fish and pork to this temperature ensures that the flesh is safe to eat, eliminating risks associated with parasites and bacteria. The same applies to beef and lamb when they are cooked as steaks or chops.

Shelled eggs also need to reach this temperature to ensure that they are properly cooked, reducing the risk of contamination from bacteria such as Salmonella.

In contrast, other options include foods that do not fall under this specific temperature requirement. Ground meats, for example, require higher cooking temperatures to ensure that any pathogens that may have been distributed throughout the meat during the grinding process are effectively killed. Similarly, all meats and poultry are generally cooked to higher temperatures for optimum safety, in accordance with specific guidelines for different types of meat. Therefore, the key is recognizing that while various meats have different safe cooking temperatures, the ones listed in the correct answer are