Food Safety Tips for Summer Grill Season

State health experts have released their annual tips for food safety amid all the cookouts, beach trips and vacation get-aways.

The Department of Health and Human Services' Food Protection Section offers best practices to help people avoid foodborne illnesses, such as Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli, and Campylobacter.

The DHHS tip sheet includes the following:

• Separate: Use a separate cutting board for cooked foods and raw foods and always wash them after use. Avoid cross-contamination. Wash any utensil after preparing one food item before going on to the next item.

• Clean: Always wash hands before touching any food. Wash hands and surfaces often during food preparation and afterward.

• Cook: Pork, lamb, veal and whole cuts of beef should be cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit as measured by a food thermometer placed in the thickest part of the meat, followed by a three-minute rest time before carving or consuming. Hamburgers and other ground beef should reach 160 degrees. Poultry should reach at least 165 degrees. Cooked meats like hot dogs should be grilled to 165 degrees, or until steaming hot.

• Chill: Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours. One hour if it is a hot day over 90 degrees. The refrigerator should be maintained at 40 degrees, or colder. Keep hot foods hot, 140 degrees or hotter, and cold foods cold, 40 degrees or colder. Never defrost food at room temperature. Thaw food in the refrigerator, or in cold-water bath, or in the microwave. When using a microwave, meat must be cooked immediately after. Marinate foods in the refrigerator.

• Report: Report suspected foodborne illnesses to the state Department of Health and Human Services at (603) 271-4496.