Avoid Food Poisoning at Your 4th of July BBQ

Hosting a 4th of July barbecue this year?

Not to be a party pooper, but one in six Americans will contract a food-borne illness this year.

Cooking raw meat for a barbecue gived food poisoning a chance to spread.

Why? Here are some key stats:

• Incidents of food poisoning surge over the summer months because bacteria multiply faster when it’s warm.
• Americans spend $400 million on beef alone for July 4^th barbeques each year.
• USDA research shows that one out of every four hamburgers turns brown before it has reached a safe internal temperature.
• Only 23 percent of Americans who own a food thermometer actually use it when grilling hamburgers.
• 48 million Americans - at least 1 in 6 - will get sick from food-borne illnesses this year, resulting in roughly 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.

So, this year, the Ad Council, the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Health and Human Services are letting the Founding Fathers do the talking:

George Washington says…CLEAN

John Adams says…SEPARATE

Thomas Jefferson says…COOK

Benjamin Franklin says…CHILL

Yes - clean, separate, cook and chill. It’s as simple as that.

And have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Learn more at foodsafety.gov.

(Get San Leandro Patch delivered by email. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @sanleandropatch. Or start your own blog.)