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Food Safety 101: Avoiding the Hidden Dangers of Holiday Cookouts

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Many of you will celebrate the 4th with a cookout, but even the best-tasting food can have hidden dangers.

Here's CNN medical correspondent Linda Ciampa to remind us all of some food safety basics.

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LINDA CIAMPA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To avoid a food poisoning fiasco this summer, take this quick quiz: What's E. coli?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: E. coli is basically something that's a cancer in the male system.

(BUZZER SOUND)

CIAMPA: Actually, most E. coli bacteria live harmlessly in the intestines of animals and people, but one type called E. coli 0157:H7 can be deadly.

Second question: E. coli is found in which foods?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was thinking that mostly E. coli was from, more or less, chicken.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's probably chicken.

(BUZZER SOUND)

CIAMPA: E. coli is often linked to undercooked ground beef, but has been found in fruits and vegetables and unpasteurized fruit juices. It's also been transmitted through contaminated drinking water, swimming pools and shallow lakes.

Question number three: To what temperature should you cook ground beef to kill E. coli?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's like 112 degrees, something like that.

(BUZZER SOUND) CIAMPA: The right answer: 160 degrees.

KATHLEEN ZELMAN, AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION: You cannot determine the "doneness" of a hamburger or any cut of meet by the color or by the feel. You really need to use a thermometer, and you need to use a thermometer that you can slide into the side of the hamburger patty.

CIAMPA: E. coli isn't the only pathogen that can spoil a picnic. There's also Salmonella and Campylobacter that can lurk in chicken, trichinosis found in pork. To prevent any problems, cook chicken breast to 170 degrees, thighs and wings till juices run clear. Cook pork to 160 degrees and wash those fruits and vegetables, including the skins of watermelons and cantaloupes, because they can carry harmful bacteria.

(on camera): And don't be lulled by hot dog labels that say "fully cooked." Experts say even these can contain a pathogen called listeria, so fully cooked hot dogs should be reheated until they're steamy hot throughout.

Linda Ciampa, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: If you'd like more health news, click onto our Web site, cnn.com/health, which is produced with WebMD.

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