DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A bit of pink in pork appears to be OK after all.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service will announce Tuesday that it has lowered its temperature recommendation for cooking pork to 145 degrees. That’s a change from the agency’s longstanding guideline and means pork will be held to the same standard as beef, veal and lamb.
For chefs, it means the USDA has sanctioned what already was common practice.
“I’m glad they have the sense to make that change,” said Rob Weland, a chef at Poste Moderne Brasserie, an upscale restaurant in Washington.
Weland said he has always cooked pork to the lower temperature because chefs knew it was safe and the meat clearly tastes better. But he said it could take years for backyard grillers to adjust to the change.
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