In terms of food safety, cooking chicken to 165 F for 15 seconds serves as what?

Cooking chicken to 165°F for 15 seconds serves as a critical limit in food safety practices. A critical limit is a specific value that signifies a boundary for safety, particularly in controlling foodborne pathogens. In this context, reaching 165°F is the temperature required to effectively kill harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter that can be present in poultry.

The importance of this critical limit lies in preventing foodborne illness by ensuring that chicken is cooked adequately. If the cooking temperature falls below this critical limit, the risk of illness increases significantly due to the survival of pathogens. Hence, monitoring this cooking step is essential for maintaining food safety.

While concepts like hazard analysis focus on identifying potential food safety issues and corrective actions address how to respond to non-compliance with safety standards, the specific requirement of cooking chicken to this temperature and duration aligns clearly with the definition of a critical limit within a food safety management system.