A man grills hamburgers and sausages in Decatur, Ga. (Photo: Michael A. Schwarz, USA TODAY) 
 
 Doug Powell doesn't bring wine when he's invited to dinner. 
 
 He brings a food thermometer. 
 
 As a food safety scientist and creator of barfblog.com, Powell knows way too much about the dangers of undercooked meat to take chances on the barbecue. 
 
 So he brings a food thermometer to every summer cookout. "I don't get invited to dinner much," he says. 
 
 With the Fourth of July approaching, Powell and other food safety experts talked to USA TODAY about ways to make sure people leave their summer barbecues as healthy as they arrived. 
 
 Pork loin with raspberry chipotle glaze is smoked on a grill in this May 27, 2007, photo. (Photo: Larry Crowe, AP) 
 
 • Always use a meat thermometer, Powell says. With practice, people can learn to stick them in burgers without slicing the patties in half. "Pick the meat up with tongs and insert the thermometer sideways, or through the top," Powell suggests. Beef hamburgers should reach 160 degrees to kill germs, says Benjamin Chapman, assistant professor of food safety at North Carolina State University and a food safety specialist at the North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Temperature matters far more than color when it comes to meat, Chapman says; even thoroughly browned burgers can harbor bugs. "I was not a popular person at a family cookout a few years back when I insisted we 'temp' the chicken as we grilled in the rain," says Donald Schaffner, a professor and extension specialist at Rutgers University in New Jersey. "But nobody got sick." 
 
 A produce manager holds a cut cantaloupe at a Denver supermarket on Friday, July 13, 2012. (Photo: Ed Andrieski, AP) 
 
 • Slice your own cantaloupes. Although cantaloupes are loaded with vitamins, they've also caused some of the biggest outbreaks of food-borne illness in recent years. More than 260 people were sickened in a salmonella outbreak in 2012; nearly 100 were hospitalized and three died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cantaloupes spread disease more easily than watermelon or honeydew because their soft, bumpy skins soak up bacteria like a sponge, Powell says. Washing doesn't help, and cutting through the outer rind allows bacteria to infect the edible portion of the melon. While people don't have to stop eating cantaloupes, they should keep sliced portions refrigerated, because cold temperatures slow bacterial growth. But stores are asking for trouble when they slice melons in half, wrap them in plastic and leave them at room temperature in the produce aisle, Powell says: "This is microbiological disaster waiting to happen." 
 
 • Use a cooler — for cantaloupe, potato salad or other picnic foods. "Bacteria will grow if left out at warm temperatures long enough," Powell says. 
 
 • But don't be afraid of mayonnaise. The egg-based spread has gotten a bad rap, and some people have been afraid to take it on summer picnics. But "commercial mayo uses pasteurized eggs and has high levels of vinegar," whose acid content helps control bacteria, Powell says. Homemade mayo, on the other hand, could be riskier. 
 
 Commercially prepared mayonnaise used in potato salad carries little health risk. (Photo: Renee Comet) 
 
 • Don't wash poultry and other meat. "It just spreads bugs," Powell says. 
 
 So are there any foods these three food experts won't touch? 
 
 • Sprouts. Seeds and beans need warm, humid conditions to sprout and grow. So do bacteria, such as salmonella, listeria and E. coli. Raw or lightly cooked sprouts have caused at least 30 reported outbreaks of food-borne illness since 1996, according to FoodSafety.gov. Home-grown sprouts are no safer, because the bacteria can be found in the seeds themselves. So no matter how clean your house, bacteria can grow to dangerous levels. "Some providers test seed and provide sufficient controls, but consumers have no way of knowing which sprouts are good or not," Powell says. 
 
 In this June 5, 2011 file picture bean sprouts are photographed in Berlin, Germany. (Photo: Gero Breloer, AP) 
 
 • Raw shellfish. Even a fancy dish such as raw oysters, served in high-end restaurants, can pose a huge risk, Powell says, because they can be exposed to raw waste while under water. "The bacteria Vibrio found on raw oysters produces a toxin that attacks vulnerable livers," Powell says. "Raw shellfish is risky." 
 
 In this Monday, Sept. 12, 2013 file photo, an oyster cultivator holds oyster seed before spreading it into the waters of Duxbury Bay in Duxbury, Mass. (Photo: Stephan Savoia, AP) 
 
 • Raw milk. Some advocates of unpasteurized milk say it's healthier because it contains natural microorganisms that strengthen the immune system. Unfortunately, raw milk also can also contain dangerous bacteria, including salmonella, listeria, campylobacter and brucella, according to the CDC. Younger children, old people and those with weak immune systems are most at risk. "Getting sick from raw milk can mean many days of diarrhea, stomach cramping, and vomiting," the CDC says. "Less commonly, it can mean kidney failure, paralysis, chronic disorders and even death." 
 
 By selling shares in his Jerseys, Brian Harville produces raw milk for his customers at his Wilson County dairy farm in Tennessee. (Photo: Larry McCormack, Gannett) 
 
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 / Updated / Source: NBC News By Maggie Fox 
 
 At least 60 people have been made sick and 31 are in the hospital after eating pre-cut melon contaminated with salmonella, federal health officials said Saturday. 
 
 The suspected cut melon products were sold in stores including Costco, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Walgreens and Whole Foods in eight states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. 
 
 They are all linked to the the Caito Foods facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, the CDC said. The company has recalled the melon. 
 
 “Recalled products were distributed to Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio,” the CDC said. 
 
 People should not eat the recalled cut melon or fruit salad products, the CDC said. 
 
 “Check your fridge and freezer for them and throw them away or return them to the place of purchase for a refund,” the CDC said. 
 
 “If you don’t remember where you bought pre-cut melon, don’t eat it and throw it away.” 
 
 It’s likely more cases will turn up, the CDC said. It can take days or weeks for food-borne illnesses to get reported. So far, people have been reported ill in five states. 
 
 Separately, the CDC is reporting an outbreak of salmonella linked to backyard chickens that had made 124 people in 36 states sick. The CDC says 21 people have been hospitalized. A third of the cases are in children under the age of 5. 
 
 Backyard chickens and chicks are a common source of salmonella. 
 
 “The people who got sick reported getting chicks and ducklings from places such as feed supply stores, websites, hatcheries, and from relatives,” the CDC said. 
 
 “People can get sick from salmonella from touching live poultry or their environment. Birds carrying the bacteria can appear healthy and clean,” it added. 
 
 “It’s important to always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water right after touching live poultry or anything in their environment. Don’t let children younger than 5 years handle or touch live poultry without adult supervision.” 
 
 Salmonella is a very common cause of food poisoning. Every year, it makes about 1.2 million people sick, puts 23,000 into the hospital and kills 450 people in the U.S. 
 
 It causes diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. ||||| Turns out bacteria may transfer to candy that has fallen on the floor no matter how fast you pick it up. 
 
 Rutgers researchers have disproven the widely accepted notion that it’s okay to scoop up food and eat it within a “safe” five-second window. Donald Schaffner, professor and extension specialist in food science, found that moisture, type of surface and contact time all contribute to cross-contamination. In some instances, the transfer begins in less than one second. 
 
 Their findings appear online in the American Society for Microbiology’s journal, Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 
 
 “The popular notion of the ‘five-second rule’ is that food dropped on the floor, but picked up quickly, is safe to eat because bacteria need time to transfer,” Schaffner said, adding that while the pop culture “rule” has been featured by at least two TV programs, research in peer-reviewed journals is limited. 
 
 “We decided to look into this because the practice is so widespread. The topic might appear ‘light’ but we wanted our results backed by solid science,” said Schaffner, who conducted research with Robyn Miranda, a graduate student in his laboratory at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University-New Brunswick. 
 
 Photo: Shutterstock/Joe Belanger Researchers found carpet has very low bacteria transfer rates compared with those of tile and stainless steel. 
 
 The researchers tested four surfaces – stainless steel, ceramic tile, wood and carpet – and four different foods (watermelon, bread, bread and butter, and gummy candy). They also looked at four different contact times – less than one second, five, 30 and 300 seconds. They used two media – tryptic soy broth or peptone buffer – to grow Enterobacter aerogenes, a nonpathogenic “cousin” of Salmonella naturally occurring in the human digestive system. 
 
 Transfer scenarios were evaluated for each surface type, food type, contact time and bacterial prep; surfaces were inoculated with bacteria and allowed to completely dry before food samples were dropped and left to remain for specified periods. All totaled 128 scenarios were replicated 20 times each, yielding 2,560 measurements. Post-transfer surface and food samples were analyzed for contamination. 
 
 Not surprisingly, watermelon had the most contamination, gummy candy the least. “Transfer of bacteria from surfaces to food appears to be affected most by moisture,” Schaffner said. “Bacteria don’t have legs, they move with the moisture, and the wetter the food, the higher the risk of transfer. Also, longer food contact times usually result in the transfer of more bacteria from each surface to food.” 
 
 Perhaps unexpectedly, carpet has very low transfer rates compared with those of tile and stainless steel, whereas transfer from wood is more variable. “The topography of the surface and food seem to play an important role in bacterial transfer,” Schaffner said. 
 
 So while the researchers demonstrate that the five-second rule is “real” in the sense that longer contact time results in more bacterial transfer, it also shows other factors, including the nature of the food and the surface it falls on, are of equal or greater importance. 
 
 “The five-second rule is a significant oversimplification of what actually happens when bacteria transfer from a surface to food,” Schaffner said. “Bacteria can contaminate instantaneously.”
– Nothing can put a damper on your July 4th barbecue like rain—except maybe food safety experts, some of whom give USA Today pointers on how to avoid celebrations that end with you running for the bathroom. Doug Powell of the aptly-named barfblog.com starts with a few foods he would never eat: Sprouts: They can carry salmonella, listeria, and E. coli, and require warm moisture to grow—just like bacteria. Raw shellfish: No matter how fancy the restaurant, don’t risk it. Why? Raw waste is in the water they call home. Raw milk: Sure, people say unpasteurized milk is healthy and boosts the immune system. But the CDC says it also contains salmonella, listeria, campylobacter, and brucella. And a few general tips: Take your meat’s temperature: The trick is to insert the thermometer in sideways, and you’ll want to hit a balmy 160 degrees. For fans of medium-rare burgers, Food Safety News has a not-so-gentle reminder about the dangers of salmonella. Don’t trust sliced cantaloupes: The melon’s soft, rough skin love bacteria and washing doesn’t improve matters. And bacteria on the rind can get on the yummy interior when the melon is cut. The solution? Store sliced melon in the fridge. Stay cool: Keep your picnic foods in a cooler, not in the summer sun. Be friends with mayo: It contains pasteurized eggs and lots of vinegar to keep bacteria at bay. The homemade version is riskier. For the full article, click here.