02A — Food requiring cooking not cooked to required minimum temperature
This is undercooked food — it was never heated enough to kill the bacteria inside. Heat is what makes raw chicken, burgers, and eggs safe, and each food has its own kill temperature. An inspector will probe the center of a protein (the slowest-to-heat spot) and may ask a cook to fire one fresh off the grill so they can read it on the spot. Surface color and 'looks done' do not count — only the internal number does. This is a public health hazard worth at least 10 points, and 28 if it is not corrected before the inspector leaves.
What the inspector looks for
Probe the thickest part of cooked food before it leaves the line. Poultry must read 165°F; ground meat 158°F; pork 150°F; shell eggs 145°F; everything else (fish, etc.) 140°F. Below the number = not done.
Points & grade impact
Cited at 10 points — Cited at 10 (condition IV); uncorrected PHH → 28. NYC adds every cited violation’s points into one inspection score: 0–13 = A, 14–27 = B, 28+ = C.
How to fix it
Continue cooking until the thickest part reaches the required minimum internal temperature; re-probe in several locations with a clean, calibrated thermometer.
How to prevent it
Use a calibrated metal-stem or thermocouple thermometer for every batch; train cooks on NYC minimum cook temperatures; clean and sanitize the thermometer between uses.
- ✓Keep a calibrated probe thermometer at every cook station and check the center of each batch, not just one piece.
- ✓Post the NYC minimum cook temps right at the line: poultry 165°F, ground meat 158°F, pork 150°F, eggs 145°F, all other 140°F.
- ✓Probe in two or three spots on thick or whole items; the middle and near the bone read coldest.
- ✓Wipe and sanitize the probe between foods so you are not dragging raw juices into cooked product.
Reference: Health Code §81.09(c)
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Run a free self-auditMore Food Temperature & Time (TCS) violations
- 02BHot TCS food not held at or above 140°F
- 02CCooked/refrigerated PHF not reheated to 165°F within 2 hours
- 02DPre-cooked commercially processed PHF not heated to 140°F within 2 hours
- 02EWhole frozen poultry cooked frozen or partially thawed
- 02FEggs, meat, fish or other PHF served raw or undercooked
- 02GCold TCS food not held at or below 41°F