State Health officials say handling food safely to prevent food borne illness should be on every cooks' mind. They state that dangerous bacteria can be present in foods, such as meat and poultry, and can cause illness due to insufficient cooking, inadequate cooling and improper food handling practices.

Tips to a healthy Thanksgiving meal and future meals include always washing hands with warm, soapy water before and after handling raw foods and thoroughly cleaning all work surfaces, utensils, and dishes. To refrigerate foods promptly after purchase, officials suggest refrigerating or freezing meat, poultry, and seafood promptly after purchase. They also propose thawing frozen meat, poultry and seafood inside the refrigerator in its original wrapping. Lastly, turkey should be refrigerated one of two ways: within two hours after it is cooked; or right after cooking. Keep foods separate; don't cross contaminate: Always wash fruits and vegetables in clean sinks under running water and keep fruits and vegetables away from raw meats, poultry, eggs, fish and any other raw animal product. Pre-packaged vegetables and salad mixes labeled "ready-to-eat" do not require additional washing. If consumers choose to wash pre-packaged "ready-to-eat" vegetables and salad mixes, they should use care to thoroughly clean hands and use clean kitchenware and utensils. Additional guidance for consumers can be found on the California Department of Health Services’ Food and Drug Branch For more tips go to www.fightbac.org