If a product drops below what temperature, does it need to be reheated?

In food safety, it is critical to keep hot foods at safe temperatures to prevent the risk of foodborne illness. The standard guideline is that food should be kept above 140°F to ensure that bacteria do not grow. When food falls below this temperature, it must be reheated to a safe temperature for consumption.

The reason that the threshold for reheating is typically set at 140°F is that it is the temperature at which bacteria are not able to grow. Therefore, when food drops below this critical temperature, especially when held in the “danger zone” between 40°F and 140°F, it becomes essential to reheat it back to this safe level or higher to mitigate any risks associated with bacterial growth.

Choosing a temperature higher than 140°F, like 150°F or 155°F, is unnecessary in most cases because the main goal is simply to ensure that the food is reheated sufficiently to be safe for consumption, which is effectively achieved at the minimum threshold of 140°F.