When is pork safe to eat

That used to be true, but the organism has been virtually eliminated at this point. The real concern with undercooking meat is salmonella bacteria or E. Amy Sherman is a San Francisco-based writer, recipe developer and cookbook author who never says no to a warm doughnut.

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New Farmers. Disaster Resource Center. An official website of the United States government. Have a Question? Is pork safe to eat? Those with a compromised immune system should be especially vigilant about following food safety guidelines and cooking pork to an appropriate temperature.

This includes those who are pregnant, undergoing cancer therapy, or on certain medications which suppress the immune system. Symptoms of trichinosis can include nausea, abdominal cramps, and, later, muscle pains, facial swelling, and high fevers.

Tapeworms may not cause symptoms but can still make you sick and even cause sudden seizures. Due to improved agricultural practices in the United States, Canada, and Europe in the last several decades, developing trichinosis has become rare 5 , 6. In fact, from —, an average of 16 cases of trichinosis were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC in the United States each year 6 , 7. Worldwide trichinosis estimates are much greater — at 10, cases each year — most stemming from China and Southeast Asian or Eastern European countries 5 , 6.

On October 1, , the United States Department of Agriculture USDA announced it would reduce the number of its inspectors on site and allow pork manufacturers to inspect their pork products themselves. These measures went into effect just 2 months later 8. Previously, only government inspectors could determine which pork products looked safe enough to be sold to the public 8. Therefore, thoroughly cooking your pork remains crucial. Changes to agricultural practices over past decades in the United States have made pork safer to eat.

However, these have recently changed, allowing for less oversight. Therefore, the best defense against trichinosis is cooking your pork thoroughly. This allows the meat to continue to cook and rise in temperature. According to the revised guidelines from the USDA, this is acceptable. Proper food handling is also really important. This means that handwashing is imperative while you cook, as is using clean drinking water to wash off cutting surfaces, dishes, or utensils.

Cooking your pork to a safe temperature is crucial to avoid infection. Allow your meat to rest 3 minutes before eating. Eating raw or undercooked pork is not a good idea. The meat can harbor parasites, like roundworms or tapeworms. These can cause foodborne illnesses like trichinosis or taeniasis. While rare, trichinosis can lead to serious complications that are sometimes fatal. Those with compromised immune systems should be especially careful.