OTTAWA — Digital food thermometers are the most accurate way to check that your meat, poultry and seafood have reached a safe internal temperature before serving, Health Canada says.

Rather than judging that a meat is cooked by its colour and that of its juices, it is safer to use a thermometer to ensure harmful bacteria have been eliminated from the food, the agency says. Bacteria such as salmonella, E. coli and Listeria, which can cause food-borne illness, can't survive at certain high temperatures.

While there are many types of food thermometers, digital food thermometers are considered the most accurate because they provide instant and exact temperature readings, Health Canada says.

Safe internal cooking temperatures are different for different types of foods, so it's important to know what internal temperature your food needs to reach to be safe to eat.

When using a digital thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the meat, poultry or seafood, making sure not to touch any bones, since they heat up quicker than the meat and could give a false reading. If the safe internal cooking temperature is reached, your food is safe to eat. If you have more than one piece of meat, poultry or seafood, check each piece separately as temperatures may differ in each piece.

Here are the safe internal cooking temperatures for common foods:

• Beef, veal and lamb (pieces and whole cuts): 63 C (145 F) for medium-rare, 71 C (160 F) for medium and 77 C (170 F) for well done.
• Pork (pieces and whole cuts): 71 C (160 F).
• Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck): 74 C (165 F) for pieces and 85 C (185 F) for whole.
• Ground meat and meat mixtures (for example, burgers, sausages, meatballs, meat loaf, casseroles): Beef, veal, lamb and pork should be 71 C (160 F), while poultry should be 74 C (165 F).
• Egg dishes: 74 C (165 F).
• Others (hot dogs, stuffing, leftovers, seafood, etc.): 74 C (165 F).

Health Canada estimates there are as many as 11 million cases of food-borne illnesses in Canada each year, which could often be prevented by following proper food-handling and preparation steps.