· Keep it simple. Bring only the amount of food you will eat and try to bring food that does not need to be kept cold or hot.

· Keep it clean. Always wash your hands with hot, soapy water before and after handling food, after handling raw meat and before you eat. If soap and water aren’t available, use disposable wet wipes or a waterless hand sanitizer.

· Keep it cool. If you don’t have access to a refrigerator, use a cooler with a tightly closed lid and keep it in the shade. Use a separate cooler for items accessed often.

· Keep it separate. Raw meat should be stored in watertight containers away from other food. If taking meat to an off-site barbecue, do most of the preparation at home (forming hamburger patties, spearing skewers, and cutting meat) where you have easy access to soap and water. Use separate utensils, cutting boards and bowls for raw meat and wash your hands often.

· Keep it chilled. Chill salad ingredients before mixing potato, macaroni and other salads containing milk, pasta, meat or eggs. Once you’ve mixed the salads, keep them cold until they’re eaten.

· Keep it clean. Before slicing cantaloupe and watermelon, scrub with a vegetable brush under running water. If not being eaten immediately, cut melons should be kept cold.

· Keep it cooked. Barbecued meat often looks done on the outside, even when the inside is undercooked. Use a food thermometer to check meat temperature:

· Keep it hot. Serve hot foods immediately after cooking. Use a clean plate for foods that come off the grill rather than reusing the plate that held raw meat.

· Use it or lose it. Leftovers must be refrigerated within one hour of cooking. If not, it is safer to throw the food away.