Doctor's orders

From Michael Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet Oz, M.D., here’s how to protect your family from food illnesses right now:

• POINT OF PURCHASE: Buy American or Canadian produce when you have a choice. North American plants get closer inspection than many foreign-grown products.
• IRRADIATION: Don’t be afraid of irradiated food. We believe this process, which kills disease-causing pathogens, makes meat, poultry, eggs, vegetables and fruit safer.
• BE CAREFUL: Keep hot foods piping hot and cold foods frosty cold. Refrigerate perishables, prepared foods and leftovers within two hours of buying, cooking or serving. Keep your hands, knives, cutting boards and counter tops clean while preparing food, and use separate knives and boards for meats and produce.
• FREEZE IT FAST:Limit how long you leave raw meats in the fridge: one to two days for ground meats, sausage and poultry; three to five days for beef, pork or veal. If it’s going to be longer, freeze it.