Which option correctly states the safe time-temperature for ground meat and similar products?

• A. 145 Degrees for 15 Seconds
• B. 165 Degrees for Less Than One Second
• C. 130 Degrees for 112 Minutes
• D. 155 Degrees for 17 Seconds

Answer: (D)

Safety for ground meat depends on a precise time-temperature combination because grinding distributes any bacteria throughout the product, not just on the surface. To reliably kill pathogens, you must heat the meat to a high enough temperature and hold it for a short enough time to achieve a true kill step.

The combination of 155 degrees and about 17 seconds is one of the recognized ways to accomplish this for ground meat and similar products. At this temperature, holding for that duration provides the necessary lethality to pathogens that could be present inside the ground meat, accounting for the increased surface area from grinding.

The other options either use temperatures that are too low to guarantee safety for ground meat, or imply holding patterns that aren’t practical or standard for achieving the same level of safety. That’s why the 155-degree, 17-second combination is the correct choice.