So I came across this story earlier today and my first instinct was to be skeptical. Perhaps I am too safe when it comes to food, but if there is one thing that I don't want, it's some sort of foodborne illness that keeps me up all night, waiting in dread as an inevitable hurl stalks me. Nonetheless, from
NPR:
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture released new recommendations for cooking pork today: The Department now recommends that like beef, veal and lamb, whole cuts of pork should be cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, then allowed to sit for three minutes."
According to the article, this means the pork might still have some pink in it. Evidently, chefs are very happy about this. NPR quotes from an
AP article where a chef states that he has been doing this for years because he and other chefs knew it was safe. According to the USDA, that's now true. But from all the sources I've been able to find online, it's only likely to be safe when pink, if the pigs haven't managed to eat things like undercooked meat and animal carcasses, such as rats. In this country where this stuff is supposed to be monitored and inspected, one can make a reasonable argument that there really is nothing to worry about and those chefs are all correct. Yet, if something does go wrong, you could be introduced to
Trichinosis. The cysts associated with Trichinosis burst open in the digestive system, grow into roundworms and invade muscle tissues, including the heart and diaphragm. (
NIH)
According to the National Institutes of Health, only about 40 people in the U.S. come down with Trichinosis every year. A very low number for sure, that said, here is what the
NIH website still says, even with the new USDA guidelines coming out:
"Pork and meat from wild animals should be cooked until well done (no traces of pink)."
Call me a contrarian if you want, but for now, you better cook my pork until there's no pink. What do you think?
