These rules are jurisdictional. Each one names the authority it comes from and the territories it applies in. Where BBQHQ holds no rule for your territory, it shows you nothing rather than showing you somebody else’s.
What the rules say
UK: cook to 70 °C for 2 minutes or an equivalent
criticalFood Standards Agency · GB-ENG, GB-WLS, GB-NIR · last verified 2026-08-13 · review due 2027-02-13
In the UK, food should reach 70 °C held for 2 minutes, or an equivalent time-and-temperature combination, at the slowest-heating point.
The Food Standards Agency treats these combinations as equivalent because pasteurisation depends on time as well as temperature. A long, low cook can satisfy a lower-temperature combination many times over without ever reaching the highest figure — which is why a single number would misrepresent the guidance.
Equivalent time and temperature combinations
- 80 °C (176 °F) for 0 min — measured at the slowest-heating point of the food. · 6 seconds.
- 75 °C (167 °F) for 1 min — measured at the slowest-heating point of the food. · 30 seconds.
- 70 °C (158 °F) for 2 min — measured at the slowest-heating point of the food.
- 65 °C (149 °F) for 10 min — measured at the slowest-heating point of the food.
- 60 °C (140 °F) for 45 min — measured at the slowest-heating point of the food.
Applies to these food forms: whole bird, bird portion, minced, burger patty, mechanically tenderised, sausage, rolled, stuffed, kebab pieces, pre cooked reheat
Where this comes from
In the UK, food is considered adequately cooked when it reaches 70 °C held for 2 minutes, or an equivalent time-and-temperature combination.
Well established
Food Standards Agency — States this directly
“70°C for 2 minutes”
- How it was measured:
- Temperature is that of the food itself, at the slowest-heating point.
- Equivalent to a six-log reduction in vegetative bacteria.
- Where it applies:
- England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland follows equivalent guidance.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
Food Standards Agency — States this directly
“60°C for 45 minutes, 65°C for 10 minutes, 70°C for 2 minutes, 75°C for 30 seconds”
- The combinations are presented as alternatives, not as a scale of increasing safety.
- Long, low cooks may satisfy a lower-temperature combination many times over without ever reaching the highest figure.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
Scotland: 75 °C in the thickest part
criticalFood Standards Scotland · GB-SCT · last verified 2026-08-13 · review due 2027-02-13
In Scotland, a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the food should read 75 °C or above, and minced meat products such as burgers, sausages and kebabs must be cooked thoroughly all the way through.
Food Standards Scotland publishes a single core temperature for consumers rather than the set of equivalent time-and-temperature combinations the Food Standards Agency publishes for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. A reader in Glasgow and a reader in Manchester are given different figures by their own food bodies, and BBQHQ shows each of them theirs.
Equivalent time and temperature combinations
- 75 °C (167 °F) (on reaching temperature) — measured at the thickest part of the food.
Applies to these food forms: whole bird, bird portion, minced, burger patty, mechanically tenderised, sausage, kebab pieces, rolled, stuffed
Where this comes from
In Scotland, Food Standards Scotland advises consumers that food is adequately cooked when a thermometer in the thickest part reads 75 °C or above.
Well supported
Food Standards Scotland — States this directly
“When inserted in the thickest part of the food, the thermometer should read 75°C or above.”
- Safety regime:
- Consumer guidance, addressed to people cooking at home.
- Where it applies:
- Scotland.
- A single core temperature where the FSA publishes 70 °C held for two minutes plus a ladder of equivalents. Two food bodies in one state giving different consumer advice, and neither is in error — the same shape as the FSA/USDA/MPI divergence the safety model was built around, arriving inside the United Kingdom.
- The page states no resting guidance.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-14
UK: burgers are not steaks
criticalFood Standards Agency · GB-ENG, GB-WLS, GB-NIR · last verified 2026-08-13 · review due 2027-02-13
A beef burger must be cooked through. Serving one rare or pink requires specific controls that ordinary domestic cooking does not provide, and which a whole cut of beef does not need.
Mincing takes bacteria that lived only on the outside of the meat and distributes them throughout, so the interior of a burger cannot be treated like the interior of a steak. This is a fact about the FORM, not about the animal.
Exceptions
- A food business operating a documented safe system for less than thoroughly cooked burgers. — The FSA publishes separate guidance covering the controls required. These are business controls, not domestic ones.
Applies to these food forms: minced, burger patty, mechanically tenderised
Where this comes from
A beef burger cannot be treated like a steak: mincing moves surface bacteria into the interior, so serving one rare or pink requires controls that a whole cut does not.
Well established
Food Standards Agency — States this directly
The FSA publishes separate guidance for less than thoroughly cooked beef burgers, covering controls that reduce the risks of serving them rare or pink — controls that whole cuts of beef do not require.
- Written for food businesses and local authorities rather than for domestic cooks.
- Why it happens:
- Mincing distributes surface bacteria through the interior, so the interior of a burger cannot be treated like the interior of a steak.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
England, Wales and NI: a seared steak may be served rare
significantFood Standards Agency · GB-ENG, GB-WLS, GB-NIR · last verified 2026-08-16 · review due 2027-08-16
The Food Standards Agency states that whole cuts of red meat such as steaks can be served pink, rare or bloody and will be safe to eat as long as the surface has been adequately seared. It gives no internal temperature for this case, so there is no figure here to cook to — the searing of the surface is the condition.
On an intact cut, contamination is on the surface, and searing addresses it there. Mincing, tenderising or rolling moves the surface into the middle, which is why the same authority requires those forms to be cooked through and why this rule stops at the whole cut.
Exceptions
- The cut has been minced, mechanically tenderised, rolled or stuffed. — The permission does not apply. Those forms are covered by the FSA's cooking endpoint, which requires 70 °C for 2 minutes or an equivalent.
- The reader is in Scotland. — Food Standards Scotland publishes separately and makes no equivalent statement. BBQHQ holds no Scottish whole-cut permission and does not extend this one across the border.
Applies to these food forms: steak, chop, whole muscle, bone in joint, boneless joint
Where this comes from
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the Food Standards Agency states that whole cuts of red meat such as steaks may be served pink, rare or bloody, on the condition that the surface has been adequately seared. No internal temperature is given for this case.
Well established
Food Standards Agency — States this directly
“red meat such as steaks can be served pink, rare or bloody and will be safe to eat as long as the surface has been adequately seared”
- What it covers:
- The document states its own reach: 'Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales'. Food Standards Scotland publishes separately and, as recorded separately, does not make this statement.
- The permission is CONDITIONAL and the condition is the whole rule: the surface must have been adequately seared, because on a whole cut the contamination is on the surface. A reading that drops the condition has changed the guidance into something else.
- Shape:
- No figure is given, and none is implied. This is a statement about a FORM rather than a temperature, which is why BBQHQ had to be able to record a rule about form at all before this could be held without inventing a number to hang it on.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-14
England, Wales and NI: pork is not served pink
criticalFood Standards Agency · GB-ENG, GB-WLS, GB-NIR · last verified 2026-08-16 · review due 2027-08-16
The Food Standards Agency names pork alongside chicken and minced products as food that should not be served pink or rare, because bacteria can be present within the meat rather than only on its surface. A whole cut of pork is therefore not covered by the permission the same guidance gives to steaks.
The FSA draws its line by species here rather than only by form, and pork falls on the restricted side of it whatever shape the cut is. This is the sentence that stops the red-meat permission being read as a general whole-cut permission.
Applies to these food forms: whole muscle, chop, bone in joint, boneless joint
Where this comes from
The same Food Standards Agency guidance names pork and chicken, with minced products, as foods that should not be served pink or rare — placing whole cuts of pork on the opposite side of the sentence from whole cuts of beef and lamb.
Well established
Food Standards Agency — States this directly
“other meats, like chicken and pork, as well as minced meat products such as burgers, kebabs and sausages should not be served pink or rare as bacteria can be in the meat”
- What it covers:
- Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales, as the document states.
- Pork is named, as a species, on the restricted side. This is the sentence that stops the red-meat permission being read as covering whole cuts generally: a pork loin is a whole cut and is excluded by name.
- Shape:
- Again no figure. The FSA's numerical endpoint — 70 °C for two minutes or an equivalent — is published in its business guidance and modelled separately; this sentence is a form rule and is recorded as one.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-14
US: poultry to 165 °F (74 °C)
criticalUSDA Food Safety and Inspection Service · US · last verified 2026-08-13 · review due 2027-02-13
In the United States, all poultry — whole, in portions, or ground — should reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
USDA FSIS publishes a single figure covering poultry in every form, without a separate hold time.
Equivalent time and temperature combinations
- 74 °C (165 °F) (on reaching temperature) — measured at the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle. · 165 °F. Stated as a temperature to reach rather than a temperature to hold.
Applies to these food forms: whole bird, bird portion, minced
Where this comes from
In the United States, all poultry — whole or ground — has a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
Well established
United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service — States this directly
“Cook poultry (ground or whole) to an internal temperature of 165 °F”
- Form:
- Applies to whole birds, portions and ground poultry alike.
- Stated as a temperature to reach, without an accompanying hold time.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
Clemson Cooperative Extension — States this directly
“All poultry and all stuffing, whether cooked alone or in the bird, must be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 °F.”
- Where it applies:
- United States.
- This is the USDA figure restated, not an independent determination. Clemson's COOKING TIMES on the same page are its own work; this number is not.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
US: whole cuts to 145 °F (63 °C) plus a three-minute rest
criticalUSDA Food Safety and Inspection Service · US · last verified 2026-08-13 · review due 2027-02-13
In the United States, whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb and veal — steaks, chops and roasts — should reach 145 °F (63 °C), followed by a rest of at least three minutes before carving or eating.
The rest is part of the safety requirement rather than only a quality step: the temperature continues to even out through the cut during it.
Equivalent time and temperature combinations
- 63 °C (145 °F) (on reaching temperature) — measured at the centre of the thickest part, away from bone and fat. · 145 °F, then rest at least three minutes.
Rest: 3 min
Exceptions
- The cut has been mechanically tenderised, rolled around a stuffing, or minced. — The whole-cut figure no longer applies, because the interior is no longer sterile. Treat it as the corresponding processed form.
Applies to these food forms: whole muscle, steak, chop, bone in joint, boneless joint
Where this comes from
In the United States, whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb and veal have a safe minimum internal temperature of 145 °F (63 °C), followed by a rest of at least three minutes.
Well established
United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service — States this directly
“Cook raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F ... allow meat to rest for at least three minutes”
- Form:
- Whole cuts only. Ground meats are covered by a separate, higher figure.
- The three-minute rest is part of the safety requirement, not only a quality step.
- How it was measured:
- As measured with a food thermometer before removing from the heat source.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
US: ground beef to 160 °F (71 °C)
criticalUSDA Food Safety and Inspection Service · US · last verified 2026-08-13 · review due 2027-02-13
In the United States, ground beef should reach a minimum internal temperature of 160 °F (71 °C).
Higher than the 145 °F whole-cut figure for the same animal, and the gap between the two numbers is the clearest statement anywhere in this catalogue that form governs safety.
Equivalent time and temperature combinations
- 71 °C (160 °F) (on reaching temperature) — measured at the centre of the thickest part of the patty.
Applies to these food forms: minced, burger patty
Where this comes from
In the United States, ground beef has a safe minimum internal temperature of 160 °F (71 °C) — higher than the whole-cut figure, because of mincing.
Well established
United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service — States this directly
USDA FSIS gives 160 °F (71 °C) as the safe minimum internal temperature for ground beef.
- Form:
- Ground/minced meat. Higher than the whole-cut figure precisely because of mincing.
- No rest time is specified for ground meats.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
US retail and food service: non-intact meat to 155 °F for 17 seconds
criticalUSDA Food Safety and Inspection Service · US · last verified 2026-08-13 · review due 2027-02-13
The FDA Food Code requires a retail or food service business — a restaurant, caterer or shop — to cook non-intact and comminuted meat to 68 °C (155 °F) held for 17 seconds, or an equivalent combination. This is a requirement on businesses under inspection and is not the guidance published to people cooking at home.
Recorded so that the lower of the two American figures can be explained rather than merely encountered. It is lower only because it comes with a hold time: the Food Code's own instantaneous equivalent is 158 °F, and USDA FSIS tells consumers 160 °F, so the advice aimed at somebody without a monitored process is the more conservative of the two. A cook reading 155 °F without the seventeen seconds has read half a rule.
Equivalent time and temperature combinations
- 68 °C (154 °F) for 0 min — measured at all parts of the food, per the food code's cooking requirement. · 17 seconds. The pair is the requirement; the temperature on its own is not.
- 63 °C (145 °F) for 3 min — measured at all parts of the food. · An equivalent from the same chart — lower temperature, much longer hold.
- 70 °C (158 °F) (on reaching temperature) — measured at all parts of the food. · The instantaneous equivalent, 158 °F. Below the 160 °F FSIS gives consumers.
Applies to these food forms: minced, burger patty
Where this comes from
The FDA Food Code 2022 requires food businesses to cook non-intact and comminuted meat to 68 °C (155 °F) for 17 seconds, or an equivalent time-and-temperature combination. It is a model code for the retail segment, is not federal law, and does not replace the consumer guidance USDA FSIS publishes.
Well established
United States Food and Drug Administration — States this directly
“68oC (155oF) for 17 seconds or the temperature specified in the following chart that corresponds to the holding time for RATITES, and nonINTACT MEATS”
- A time-and-temperature PAIR, not a point. The same chart gives 63 °C for 3 minutes, 66 °C for 1 minute and 70 °C instantaneously as equivalents.
- Form:
- Applies to non-intact and comminuted meat, which is the category ground beef falls in.
- Addressed to food establishments operating a monitored process, not to a person cooking at home.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
United States Food and Drug Administration — States this directly
“The retail segment includes those establishments or locations in the food distribution chain where the consumer takes possession of the food.”
- What it covers:
- Defines who the Code instructs. This is the fact that separates it from consumer guidance rather than putting it in competition with it.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
United States Food and Drug Administration — States this directly
“The model Food Code is neither federal law nor federal regulation and is not preemptive.”
- A model for adoption. What binds a given establishment is whichever edition its own jurisdiction adopted, which may not be this one.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
New Zealand: 75 °C at the thickest part
criticalNew Zealand Food Safety / Ministry for Primary Industries · NZ · last verified 2026-08-13 · review due 2027-02-13
In New Zealand, meat should reach 75 °C or more at the middle of the thickest part, or an equivalent combination: 75 °C for 30 seconds, 70 °C for 3 minutes, or 65 °C for 15 minutes.
New Zealand Food Safety's equivalents differ from the FSA's at the same temperatures — three minutes at 70 °C against the UK's two. Both are current official guidance. This is what it looks like when a safety endpoint is a jurisdictional judgement rather than a physical constant.
Equivalent time and temperature combinations
- 75 °C (167 °F) for 1 min — measured at the middle of the thickest part. · 30 seconds.
- 70 °C (158 °F) for 3 min — measured at the middle of the thickest part. · Note: three minutes, where the UK gives two.
- 65 °C (149 °F) for 15 min — measured at the middle of the thickest part.
Applies to these food forms: whole bird, bird portion, minced, burger patty, mechanically tenderised, sausage, kebab pieces
Where this comes from
In New Zealand, meat should reach 75 °C or more at the middle of the thickest part, or an equivalent combination of 75 °C for 30 seconds, 70 °C for 3 minutes, or 65 °C for 15 minutes.
Well established
New Zealand Food Safety / Ministry for Primary Industries — States this directly
“the middle of the thickest part (where the temperature should be 75°C or more)”
- How it was measured:
- Middle of the thickest part, explicitly.
- Where it applies:
- New Zealand.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
New Zealand Food Safety / Ministry for Primary Industries — States this directly
“75°C for 30 seconds, 70°C for 3 minutes, or 65°C for 15 minutes”
- These differ from the FSA's equivalents at the same temperatures — 3 minutes against 2 at 70 °C, 15 against 10 at 65 °C.
- Where it applies:
- New Zealand.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
Tenderised meat is grouped with minced meat rather than with whole cuts, and must be cooked through when barbecued.
Well supported
New Zealand Food Safety / Ministry for Primary Industries — States this directly
New Zealand Food Safety advises that chicken, tenderised meat and minced meat products need to be barbecued until they are cooked through, over 75 °C all the way through.
- Form:
- Groups tenderised meat with mince rather than with whole cuts — direct support for treating mechanical tenderisation as an interior-contamination form.
- Stated specifically in the context of barbecuing.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
Canada: 82 °C for a whole bird, 74 °C for pieces
criticalHealth Canada · CA · last verified 2026-08-13 · review due 2027-02-13
In Canada, whole poultry should reach 82 °C (180 °F) and poultry pieces — breasts, legs, thighs and wings — 74 °C (165 °F). Ground poultry and stuffing cooked in poultry are also 74 °C.
Health Canada publishes a higher figure for a whole bird than for its parts, and higher than the single 74 °C the United States applies to all poultry. A whole bird is a different measuring problem from a thigh: the slowest point is buried and the stuffing cavity is slower still.
Equivalent time and temperature combinations
- 82 °C (180 °F) (on reaching temperature) — measured at the thickest part of the breast, on a whole bird. · Whole birds only.
- 74 °C (165 °F) (on reaching temperature) — measured at the thickest part of the piece, not touching bone. · Pieces, ground poultry and stuffing.
Applies to these food forms: whole bird, bird portion, minced
Where this comes from
In Canada, whole poultry should reach 82 °C (180 °F) and poultry pieces 74 °C (165 °F).
Well established
Health Canada — States this directly
“Pieces, for example, breasts, legs, thighs, wings 74 165 ... Whole 82 180”
- Form:
- The answer to a long-standing open question. The 82 °C and 74 °C figures are not a disagreement and never were: they are two food FORMS in one table from one authority, and the difference is a whole bird against a portion of one.
- The United States gives ALL poultry 74 °C. Canada gives a whole bird eight degrees more. Two countries, one continent, different judgements, neither in error — which is the argument of the whole safety model arriving between neighbours.
- What it covers:
- Consumer guidance. The chart is published for people cooking at home.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-15
Canada: 71 °C for ground red meat
criticalHealth Canada · CA · last verified 2026-08-13 · review due 2027-02-13
In Canada, ground beef, veal and lamb — including burgers, meatballs and sausages — should reach 71 °C (160 °F).
Mincing distributes surface bacteria throughout the meat, so a burger cannot be cooked to a whole-cut endpoint. Canada's figure here matches the American one.
Equivalent time and temperature combinations
- 71 °C (160 °F) (on reaching temperature) — measured at the centre of the thickest patty or piece.
Applies to these food forms: minced, burger patty, sausage
Where this comes from
In Canada, ground beef, veal and lamb should reach 71 °C (160 °F) and ground poultry 74 °C (165 °F).
Well established
Health Canada — States this directly
“Ground meat, for example, burgers, meatballs, sausages 71 160”
- 71 °C for ground red meat is the same figure USDA FSIS gives consumers.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-15
Canada: 63/71/77 °C for beef, veal and lamb by doneness
criticalHealth Canada · CA · last verified 2026-08-13 · review due 2027-02-13
In Canada, beef, veal and lamb pieces and whole cuts are given a safety figure for each doneness level: 63 °C (145 °F) medium-rare, 71 °C (160 °F) medium and 77 °C (170 °F) well done. Mechanically tenderized beef and veal should reach 63 °C and be turned at least twice during cooking.
Unusually among the authorities BBQHQ holds, Canada publishes safety figures BY DONENESS rather than one endpoint, so a reader choosing medium-rare is choosing inside official guidance rather than against it.
Equivalent time and temperature combinations
- 63 °C (145 °F) (on reaching temperature) — measured at the centre of the thickest part. · Medium-rare, and the figure for mechanically tenderized beef and veal.
- 71 °C (160 °F) (on reaching temperature) — measured at the centre of the thickest part. · Medium.
- 77 °C (171 °F) (on reaching temperature) — measured at the centre of the thickest part. · Well done.
Applies to these food forms: whole muscle, steak, chop, bone in joint, mechanically tenderised
Where this comes from
In Canada, beef, veal and lamb pieces and whole cuts are given three safety figures by doneness: 63 °C medium-rare, 71 °C medium and 77 °C well done. Mechanically tenderized beef and veal are given 63 °C and must be turned at least twice during cooking.
Well established
Health Canada — States this directly
“Pieces and whole cuts, for example, steaks and roasts medium-rare 63 145 medium 71 160 well done 77 170”
- Shape:
- A safety chart that speaks in doneness, which is unusual and useful. Most authorities give one safety figure and leave doneness to the cook; Canada publishes the ladder, so a Canadian reader choosing medium-rare is choosing inside official guidance rather than against it.
- The mechanically tenderized row carries a handling instruction rather than only a temperature, which matches BBQHQ's existing claim that tenderised meat behaves like mince.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-15
Tenderised meat is grouped with minced meat rather than with whole cuts, and must be cooked through when barbecued.
Well supported
New Zealand Food Safety / Ministry for Primary Industries — States this directly
New Zealand Food Safety advises that chicken, tenderised meat and minced meat products need to be barbecued until they are cooked through, over 75 °C all the way through.
- Form:
- Groups tenderised meat with mince rather than with whole cuts — direct support for treating mechanical tenderisation as an interior-contamination form.
- Stated specifically in the context of barbecuing.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
Canada: 71 °C for pork cuts, 70 °C for fish
criticalHealth Canada · CA · last verified 2026-08-13 · review due 2027-02-13
In Canada, pork pieces and whole cuts — bone-in chops, boneless loin chops, rib roast and loin roast — should reach 71 °C (160 °F), and fish 70 °C (158 °F). Shellfish and crustaceans are 74 °C. No rest interval is attached to any of these.
This is where Canada and the United States diverge most sharply. FSIS gives a pork chop 63 °C followed by a three-minute rest; Health Canada gives 71 °C and no rest. Both are current national guidance for the same cut, and BBQHQ shows the reader whichever belongs to their territory rather than reconciling them.
Equivalent time and temperature combinations
- 71 °C (160 °F) (on reaching temperature) — measured at the centre of the thickest part. · Pork pieces and whole cuts.
- 70 °C (158 °F) (on reaching temperature) — measured at the thickest part of the fillet. · Fish.
Applies to these food forms: whole muscle, chop, fillet, bone in joint
Where this comes from
In Canada, pork pieces and whole cuts should reach 71 °C (160 °F), and fish 70 °C (158 °F). No rest interval is attached to either.
Well established
Health Canada — States this directly
“Pieces and whole cuts, for example, bone-in chops, boneless loin chops, rib roast, loin roast 71 160 ... Fish 70 158”
- The sharpest disagreement in the catalogue between two neighbours. Canada gives a pork chop 71 °C; USDA FSIS gives 63 °C with a three-minute rest. That is eight degrees and a rest interval between two countries whose supermarkets sell the same cuts. Fish diverges too: 70 °C against the American 63 °C.
- Canada's chart attaches no rest interval to any row.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-15
Australia and New Zealand: 75 °C for chicken, sausages and burgers
criticalFood Standards Australia New Zealand · AU, NZ · last verified 2026-08-13 · review due 2027-02-13
Across Australia and New Zealand, cook chicken, sausages and hamburgers thoroughly to an internal temperature of 75 °C, checked with a food thermometer. Steaks may be cooked to preference.
FSANZ draws the line on FORM rather than species, and states both halves explicitly — which almost no other authority does. The same animal appears on both sides of its sentence: a beef steak may be cooked to preference and a beef hamburger may not, because mincing has moved the surface into the middle.
Equivalent time and temperature combinations
- 75 °C (167 °F) (on reaching temperature) — measured at the internal centre of the food, checked with a food thermometer. · Stated as a temperature to reach. FSANZ gives no equivalent lower-temperature combinations, unlike the FSA and MPI.
Exceptions
- The food is a whole-muscle steak rather than a minced or processed product. — FSANZ states that steaks can be cooked to preference. The 75 °C figure does not apply to them.
Applies to these food forms: whole bird, bird portion, minced, burger patty, sausage, mechanically tenderised, kebab pieces
Where this comes from
Across Australia and New Zealand, FSANZ advises cooking chicken, sausages and hamburgers thoroughly to an internal temperature of 75 °C, while stating that steaks may be cooked to preference.
Well established
Food Standards Australia New Zealand — States this directly
“Cook chicken, sausages and hamburgers thoroughly, to an internal temperature of 75oC - check the temperature with a food thermometer.”
- Where it applies:
- Australia and New Zealand together. FSANZ's remit is bi-national, which is why a New Zealand reader is covered by this AND by MPI.
- Form:
- Names chicken, sausages and hamburgers — poultry plus the two commonest minced forms.
- Method:
- Stated in the context of sausage sizzles and barbecues specifically.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
Food Standards Australia New Zealand — States this directly
“Steaks can be cooked to preference”
- A regulator saying explicitly where its own rule stops. Most authorities leave this to be inferred; FSANZ writes it down.
- Form:
- The distinction is FORM, not species: the same animal appears on both sides of the sentence.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
Australia and New Zealand: keep raw and cooked meat apart
significantFood Standards Australia New Zealand · AU, NZ · last verified 2026-08-13 · review due 2027-02-13
Use separate equipment for raw and cooked meat, and never put cooked meat back on a tray or plate that held it raw. Throw away leftovers unless there is refrigeration available to cool them quickly.
The barbecue food-safety failure that no cooking temperature prevents, and the one most likely to happen at a domestic barbecue where plates are scarce and everything is happening at once.
Applies to these food forms: whole bird, bird portion, minced, burger patty, sausage, steak, chop, whole muscle, kebab pieces, fillet
Where this comes from
At a barbecue, raw and cooked meat must be kept apart: separate equipment, and cooked meat never returned to the tray that held it raw.
Well established
Food Standards Australia New Zealand — States this directly
“never place cooked meat back on the trays that held the raw meat”
- The single most common barbecue food-safety failure, and one that no cooking temperature prevents.
- Where it applies:
- Australia and New Zealand.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
UK: fish is done when it is opaque and flakes
significantFood Standards Agency · GB-ENG, GB-WLS, GB-NIR · last verified 2026-08-18 · review due 2027-08-18
In the UK, fish is cooked when the flesh has turned opaque — no longer transparent — and separates easily with a fork.
The Food Standards Agency gives fish a visual and textural endpoint rather than a temperature. That is a deliberate difference from its 70 °C guidance for meat and from the 145 °F figure American sources give for fish, and BBQHQ carries it as stated rather than converting it into a number the regulator did not publish.
Applies to these food forms: fillet, whole fish, steak
Where this comes from
In the UK, fish is cooked when the flesh has turned opaque and separates easily with a fork. The regulator gives no temperature for fish.
Well established
Food Standards Agency — States this directly
“fish flesh should turn opaque (no longer transparent) and separates easily with a fork”
- How it was measured:
- A visual and textural test, not a thermometer reading. The same document gives 70 °C for 2 minutes as the general combination for food, and does not apply a figure to fish.
- Where it applies:
- England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-16
UK: shellfish is done when the flesh is firm and opaque
significantFood Standards Agency · GB-ENG, GB-WLS, GB-NIR · last verified 2026-08-18 · review due 2027-08-18
In the UK, prawns, scallops, crab and lobster are cooked when the flesh has become firm and opaque.
Stated by the Food Standards Agency as a cue and not as a temperature. For a scallop in particular this is the more useful instrument: the window between firm and rubbery is measured in tens of seconds, and no duration survives a change in the heat of the fire.
Applies to these food forms: shell on, shell off
Where this comes from
In the UK, prawns, scallops, crab and lobster are cooked when the flesh has become firm and opaque.
Well established
Food Standards Agency — States this directly
“prawns, scallops, crab, and lobster flesh should become firm and opaque”
- How it was measured:
- A cue, not a temperature. No figure is given for any of the four.
- Where it applies:
- England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-16
UK: mussels, clams and oysters must open, and the closed ones are thrown away
criticalFood Standards Agency · GB-ENG, GB-WLS, GB-NIR · last verified 2026-08-18 · review due 2027-08-18
In the UK, clams, mussels and oysters open their shells during cooking, and any that do not open should be thrown away.
The only doneness signal in the BBQHQ catalogue that is mechanical rather than sensory, and the only one where the regulator also states what to do with the failures. Bivalves filter-feed, so raw or lightly cooked they can carry viruses and bacteria that thorough cooking destroys — which is why this is recorded as critical rather than as a matter of texture.
Exceptions
- The person eating is older, pregnant, has a weakened immune system, or is a young child — The FSA advises avoiding raw or lightly cooked shellfish altogether in these groups, rather than relying on a cooking cue.
Applies to these food forms: shell on
Where this comes from
In the UK, clams, mussels and oysters open during cooking, and any that do not open should be thrown away.
Well established
Food Standards Agency — States this directly
“when cooking clams, mussels, and oysters the shells open during cooking - throw away any that don't open”
- How it was measured:
- A mechanical signal — the only one in the BBQHQ catalogue. The instruction covers the failures as well as the successes, which no other doneness statement BBQHQ holds does.
- Where it applies:
- England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-16
Australia and New Zealand: steaks to preference
advisoryFood Standards Australia New Zealand · AU, NZ · last verified 2026-08-16 · review due 2027-08-16
FSANZ states that steaks can be cooked to preference, in the same guidance that requires chicken, sausages and hamburgers to reach 75 °C. No temperature is attached to the steak case.
FSANZ draws the line on form rather than species and states both halves explicitly, which almost no other authority does: a beef steak may be cooked to preference and a beef hamburger may not, because mincing has moved the surface into the middle.
Applies to these food forms: steak
Where this comes from
Across Australia and New Zealand, FSANZ advises cooking chicken, sausages and hamburgers thoroughly to an internal temperature of 75 °C, while stating that steaks may be cooked to preference.
Well established
Food Standards Australia New Zealand — States this directly
“Cook chicken, sausages and hamburgers thoroughly, to an internal temperature of 75oC - check the temperature with a food thermometer.”
- Where it applies:
- Australia and New Zealand together. FSANZ's remit is bi-national, which is why a New Zealand reader is covered by this AND by MPI.
- Form:
- Names chicken, sausages and hamburgers — poultry plus the two commonest minced forms.
- Method:
- Stated in the context of sausage sizzles and barbecues specifically.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
Food Standards Australia New Zealand — States this directly
“Steaks can be cooked to preference”
- A regulator saying explicitly where its own rule stops. Most authorities leave this to be inferred; FSANZ writes it down.
- Form:
- The distinction is FORM, not species: the same animal appears on both sides of the sentence.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-13
Wash the probe before and after, not just after
moderateFood Standards Agency · GB-ENG, GB-WLS, GB-NIR · last verified 2026-08-21 · review due 2027-08-21
Wash a thermometer stem in hot soapy water before and after each use, and do not put the head in water.
BBQHQ's cross-contamination model has always covered hands, boards and tongs, and has never covered the one object that goes inside every piece of meat on the grate. Clemson's instruction is before AND after, which is the half people skip: a probe that read an underdone bird and then reads the next one has moved raw juice from the middle of one into the middle of the other.
Applies to these food forms: whole bird, bird portion, minced, burger patty, sausage, steak, chop, whole muscle, kebab pieces, fillet
Where this comes from
A thermometer stem should be washed in hot soapy water before and after each use, and the head should not be put in water.
Well established
Clemson Cooperative Extension — States this directly
“Make sure to clean the stem of your food thermometer with hot soapy water before and after each use. Do not immerse the head in water.”
- Before and after, not just after. a probe that went into an undercooked bird and then into the next one is a cross-contamination route BBQHQ's food-safety model already recognises between surfaces and hands, and has never described for the instrument that touches every piece of meat on the grate.
- The head exclusion is an equipment instruction rather than a hygiene one — electronics — and is recorded here because it is in the same sentence and separating them would misquote the source.
About this source · Original · retrieved 2026-08-21