In a surprising statement, the USDA (who are in charge of food safety for the United States) has indicated that a little pink in our pork chops is okay as long as the internal temperature is at least 145 F.

The new internal temperature guidelines are 15 degrees lower than the previous ones but are reportedly still enough to kill harmful trichinosis as well as other unsavory bacteria and viruses.

From the USDA website:

"USDA is lowering the recommended safe cooking temperature for whole cuts of pork from 160 °F to 145 °F and adding a three-minute rest time. The safe temperature for cuts of beef, veal, and lamb remains unchanged at 145 °F, but the department is adding a three-minute rest time as part of its cooking recommendations. Cooking raw pork, steaks, roasts, and chops to 145 °F with the addition of a three-minute rest time will result in a product that is both microbiologically safe and at its best quality."

The only question I have now is, "what's going to happen to the "other white meat" campaign"?