FOOD safety is probably the last thing on your mind when you're nibbling at a plate of cold cuts.

But U.S. health officials estimate that 76 million Americans get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 people die from food-borne illnesses each year.

People should follow four steps --- clean, cook, chill and separate --- when working with or eating food to prevent the spread of bacteria, says Jason Ellis, a specialist with U.S. Iowa State University's Food Safety Project.

You should always clean foods you intend to eat raw, such as vegetables. Clean also applies to yourself --- wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before starting to prepare a meal and after handling raw meat or poultry.

And when you've used a cutting board or utensils to cut meat, you should either thoroughly clean them before cutting anything else or use a different board and utensils. That way, bacteria cooked away from the meat doesn't end up in the uncooked salad.

Ensure that the food is cooked thoroughly. There's a food danger zone that runs between 4-60 degrees Celsius. That's why you want to cook your food thoroughly.

If you've left food out for too long, don't count on reheating to make it safe. Proper heating and reheating will kill food-borne bacteria, but some bacteria produce toxins that aren't destroyed by high cooking temperatures.
 

Editor: Wings