Outbreaks related to E. coli have dominated the headlines lately – from beef to carrots, several products are being recalled over the pathogen and dozens of illnesses have been reported so far.

While both recall notices urged consumers to dispose of potentially contaminated products, ground beef recall It also came with a reminder to cook all meat products to a safe temperature.

So cooking kills E. coli? And more importantly, is it safe to eat something that might be contaminated with bacteria, as long as you cook it properly first?

Here’s what the experts had to say about how heating food affects you E. coliplus what you need to know about avoiding an infection.

Escherichia coli, or E. coliis a common bacterium found in the environment, including the food, water, and intestines of humans and animals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In fact, certain types of E. coli they are considered part of a healthy gut and can aid digestion and help protect the body from other harmful germs.

Even though most kinds of E. coli they won’t hurt you, some can make you seriously ill or even kill you.

People usually become infected with these dangerous strains of E. coli by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water or by contact with infected animals, environments or other people.

Symptoms of a E. coli infection may differ depending on the type of bacteria, but symptoms generally include watery or bloody diarrheasevere abdominal cramps, vomitingor low fever.

But a specific form of the pathogen called Shiga toxin-producing E. coli can cause a serious health condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can lead to renal failure or even death.

“Shiga toxin producer E. coli that we see in carrots now are serious pathogens,” Barbara Kowalcyk, Ph.Dsaid associate professor and director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University, Milken Institute School of Public Health. Health. “They can cause very serious illness and even death, especially in children.”

It is true that cooking food to a certain temperature can kill E. coli. This is why you may hear about safe cooking temperatures, especially for meat—E. coli infections from ground beef are quite common.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code states that restaurants should cook beef to a temperature of 155°F for 17 seconds. But the CDC and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommend that people at home cook ground beef to 160°F, because that temperature kills E. coli quickly.

This is a fairly easy guide to follow – simply use a food thermometer inserted into the center of the meat to check the temperature, Darin Detwiler, Ph.Dsaid the author and associate professor of food policy at Northeastern University College of Professional Studies Health.

However, the killing E. coli in contaminated carrots and other products are a little more complicated.

“Yes, you can cook carrots, but most carrots are best enjoyed uncooked,” Detwiler said. The problem with eating raw carrots, he said, is that there’s no “kill step” — that’s a term used in the food safety world to describe something you do to kill a dangerous pathogen.

However, if you cook the carrots to an internal temperature of 160°F, that should kill any dangerous bacteria, Detwiler said.

Traditionally, carrots have not been a great source of E. coli outbreaks, but Detwiler said this is part of a growing trend of fruits and vegetables containing serious pathogens. The CDC is already considering it leafy greens a “major source” of E. coli infections.

“This is a larger pattern that we’ve seen in the last decade,” Detwiler explained. “There are more and more products that are affected by this.”

While heating food to about 160°F can kill E. colifood safety experts point out that this is not a risk you want to take. In other words, if you recalled carrots, ground beef, or any other product that might contain it E. colifollow the removal instructions and throw it away rather than trying to kill the dangerous bacteria yourself.

It’s also important to thoroughly clean any food it came in contact with, including any food that’s nearby in the refrigerator and the refrigerator itself, Detwiler said. Taking these withdrawals seriously is key, he stressed.

“Everyone can get sick from a foodborne pathogen, such as E. colihe said.

To prevent food borne diseases In general, the USDA recommends that people cook poultry and offal to an internal temperature of 165°F, fish and shellfish to 145°F, and beef, veal, pork, and chops or steaks to 145°F.

In addition, the CDC recommends that people follow what they call the four steps to food safety. These include cleaning surfaces and hands, separating food to avoid cross-contamination, cooking food to a safe temperature and properly cooling food in the refrigerator.