Which food should be cooked to the highest minimum internal temperature before consumption?

• A. Fish filet
• B. Ground turkey
• C. Ground beef
• D. Pork chop

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that different foods require different minimum internal cooking temperatures to ensure safety from pathogens. Ground meats pose a greater risk because grinding disperses bacteria that may be on the surface throughout the entire product, so the whole piece has to reach a higher temperature to destroy those pathogens.

Ground turkey must reach 165°F internally to be considered safe. This higher temperature is used because poultry can harbor pathogens like Salmonella and Campylobacter, and grinding spreads these throughout the meat, requiring a higher heat to ensure all of it is safe to eat. In comparison, ground beef is cooked to 160°F because it’s still more dangerous than whole cuts but less so than poultry. Fish fillet is typically cooked to 145°F, and a pork chop also usually 145°F, since the risk profile and surface contamination patterns differ for these foods.

So, ground turkey requires the highest minimum internal temperature among the options to ensure destruction of potential pathogens throughout the product.