Section 750.180  Cooking Potentially Hazardous Foods

a)         Raw animal foods, such as eggs, fish, poultry, meat, and foods containing these raw animal foods, shall be cooked to heat all parts of the food to the following temperatures and times, except as specified in subsections (b) and (c) of this Section:

1)         145°F (63°C) or above for 15 seconds for:

A)        Shell eggs that are broken and prepared in response to a consumer's order and for immediate service, and

B)        Fish and meat that are not specified in subsections (a)(2), (3) and (4) of this Section;

2)         For pork and game animals, comminuted fish and meats, injected meats, and shell eggs that are not prepared for immediate service, 155°F (68°C) for 15 seconds or the temperature specified in Section 750.185 that corresponds to the cooking time;

3)         As specified in Section 750.187 for roasts of beef and corned beef;

4)         165°F (74°C) or above for 15 seconds for field-dressed wild game animals, poultry, stuffed fish, stuffed meat, stuffed pasta, stuffed poultry, or stuffing containing fish, meat, or poultry; or

5)         Any alternative temperature and time that provides an equivalent heat lethality provided the alternative method is approved in advance by the Department and confirmed in writing.  Requests for alternative cooking time and temperature methods shall be submitted in writing in a format prescribed by the Department.  If the Department approves an alternative cooking method, it shall notify the requestor of its approval and inform local health departments of that approved alternative.

b)         Raw and under-cooked animal foods that are served or offered for sale in a ready-to-eat form are exempt from the cooking requirements of subsections (a)(1) through (5) of this Section, provided the food establishment serving the food follows the consumer advisory requirements specified in Section 750.110(j).  Examples of this type of food include raw marinated fish; raw molluscan shellfish; steak tartare; lightly cooked fish; rare meat; and soft cooked eggs.  Establishments such as nursing homes, hospitals, day care centers and nursery schools that serve a highly susceptible population, including the elderly, young children under age four, pregnant women, and individuals who are ill or have compromised immune systems, shall not serve raw or under-cooked animal foods, or must comply with subsections (a)(1) through (5) of this Section.

c)         Beef roasts shall be cooked:

1)         In an oven that is preheated to the temperature specified for their weight in Section 750.186 and that is held at, or above, that temperature; and

2)         To a food temperature as specified in Section 750.187 and held for the corresponding amount of time specified in Section 750.187 for that temperature.

(Source:  Amended at 20 Ill. Reg. 2171, effective January 20, 1996)