Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Food Safety,Our Blog on June 25, 2026
Temperature and foodborne illness. These two seemingly independent topics are more related than you might think.
A casual reader of the Make Food Safe Blog is likely more educated on the topics of safe minimum internal temperature in cooking. Or the danger zone range for cooked food.
All very important temperature related factoids that can protect yourself and loved ones from unintentional food poisoning.
But what about the temperature outside? It turns out temperature and foodborne illness go hand in hand, as one study proves with over two million cases of Salmonella and Campylobacter.
How did they come to this conclusion? Why would temperature impact foodborne illness? How bad are Salmonella and Campylobacter germs and how do you protect yourself and your family from these infections?
It started with a hypothesis. As temperatures rise, so does incidence of “enteric infections.” More specifically, Salmonella and Campylobacter.
Other foodborne pathogens likely experience the same shifts observed with these bad bugs. But resources and time likely limited the team to these two germs. More research would be needed to confirm others, like Listeria, E. coli, and Cronobacter. I’d say Salmonella and Campylobacter are a good start.
To uncover these results, these scientists looked at data.
A LOT of data!
They searched for peer-reviewed epidemiological studies that were published between January 1990 and March 2024. Sources included PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science databases. They observed these studies and compared the association between ambient temperature and non-typhoidal Salmonella and Campylobacter. Infections in the general population were also included in the dataset.
The study compiled data from 44 studies with over one million cases of Salmonella infections and over one million cases of Campylobacter infections.
That’s a pretty big data set.
So, what did they find?
Based on study data, these scientists concluded that “for each 1 °C rise in temperature, the risk of non-typhoidal Salmonella and Campylobacter infections increased by 5%.”
For each 1° C rise in temperature, the risk of non-typhoidal Salmonella and Campylobacter infections increased by 5%.
This phenomenon was observed across different climate zones.
The data makes a bit of sense when you think about it. However, hard facts add weight to the concept.
Many cases of foodborne illness involve leaving food out at room temperature too long or improperly cooling and storing food that will be consumed again later. This danger can be best avoided by understanding the “danger zone.”
I’m not talking about a popular fighter pilot movie. Or its sequel. Regardless of how catchy the song might be.
In this case, the danger zone refers to a temperature range at which bacteria grow and thrive and reproduce at super speed.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), “bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes.”
Bacteria grow rapidly, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes between 40 °F and 140 °F
Between this temperature range, harmful germs like Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Campylobacter, and others can grow to dangerous, illness-causing levels.
Foods left out of refrigeration or hot holding temperature should be discarded after two hours.
Most importantly, this time shrinks to one hour if the ambient temperature is above 90 °F.
Essentially, hot food should be kept hot (at or above 140 °F) and cold foods should be kept cold (at or below 40 °F).
As the temperature rises, food can enter that danger zone more quickly. Increasing the likelihood of foodborne illness.
Both of these bacteria can cause mild to severe illness. Complications can make these illnesses life-threatening and cause long-term health problems. While most of the time they are mildly inconvenient, you don’t want to gamble with foodborne illness.
Food poisoning is never fun.
Salmonella are microscopic bacteria that can cause illness in humans and animals. Most often, this infection is associated with food or contaminated water.
Around 1.35 million cases of Salmonella illness occur in the United States each year, making it a leading cause of foodborne illness in the country.
Unfortunately, only a fraction of Salmonella infections are diagnosed. The CDC estimates that this statistic is just 1 in every 30 infections.
Symptoms of Salmonella infection usually involve nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, and fever.
People usually begin feeling sick anywhere from 6 hours to 6 days after exposure. Most of the time people feel better within a week.
Most normally healthy people recover on their own without medical assistance. Severity, however, can vary from person to person.
In some cases, the germ can get into the bloodstream and cause additional, potentially life-threatening complications. You may develop arterial infections (infected aneurysms, endocarditis, or a condition known as reactive arthritis that can persist long-term).
Those with mild Salmonella infections treat illness by managing dehydration. Drink plenty of fluids and monitor symptoms. Seek medical attention if you experience diarrhea lasting more than two days or experience a fever higher than 102° F.
Those in higher risk groups, such as:
Campylobacter is a type of bacteria that can cause serious illness in humans.
According to the CDC, this harmful pathogen is responsible for around 1.5 million human illnesses in the United States each year!
Campylobacter causes typical intestinal illness symptoms. Common symptoms include diarrhea (often bloody), fever, stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting.
Most people begin to feel sick around two to five days after ingesting something contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria. Most of the time symptoms are resolved within a week. However, some may experience additional complications.
Those with weakened immune systems, people receiving chemotherapy treatment, and those with a blood disorder are more likely to develop a life-threatening infection if the bacteria spread to the bloodstream.
Certain complications of Campylobacter infections can be long-term and even life-threatening. Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and Reactive Arthritis are three well-known complications.
With the link between temperature and foodborne illness abundantly clear, you can adapt food handling habits to reduce the risk of illness.
But how?
Always keep hot foods at or above 140 °F. You can do this by keeping food in slow cookers, preheated steam tables, chafing dishes with a heat source underneath, or warming trays.
Keep an eye on the time if you are unable to do so. Discard food left out for more than two hours (one hour if ambient temperature is above 90 °F).
Always keep cold foods at or below 40 °F. You can do this by placing food in containers on ice. Alternatively, you can wait to serve cold food until you are ready to eat it, keeping it in the refrigerator until the very last minute.
As with hot foods, keep an eye on the time. Discard food left out for more than two hours. If the ambient temperature is above 90 °F, you know the drill. This time drops to one hour.
When it is time to store leftovers, be sure that no more than two hours has passed. Refrigerating food does not restart the clock. It nearly pauses it. You will want to get the food below 40 °F as quickly as possible. Use shallow containers to make this process happen more quickly.
Reheated foods should be heated to an internal temperature of at least 165 °F or until hot and steaming. If being heated in the microwave, cover food and rotate it so that it heats evenly. Eat reheated foods right away. The original two-hour clock is still ticking. If food was in danger zone for an hour and a half, you only have half an hour on that danger zone clock.
It is best to eat reheated leftovers right away.
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “Temperature and Foodborne Illness are More Related Than You Might Think,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)