Summertime and the living is easy! Picnics, barbecues, beach parties and lawn parties are just some of the leisure activities Bermudians enjoy! Potato salad, chicken salad, egg salad, Caesar salad and coleslaw are some of the summer foods eaten.

These foods are nutritious and appropriate choices during these hot months! However, you must ensure that they remain safe. These foods left outside at room temperature may become unsafe! Bacteria in food multiplies fastest at room temperature.

Where can harmful bacteria grow? Anywhere you allow them to grow! What is the major cause of food contamination? Mishandling of food-improper preparation, cooking or storage -- is the culprit that allows germs to grow and multiply in the kitchen! The first step in the food-safe process is to make sure the food brought into the kitchen is top quality. As you grocery shop: 1. Make sure frozen foods feel solid and refrigerated foods feel cold.

2. Reject cans that are swollen, damaged, rusted or deeply indented in the same area.

3. Carefully read the "sell by'' date and the "use by'' dates.

4. Buy only the amount of food you need. Divide large amounts and freeze portions for later use.

5. Don't buy cracked eggs.

6. Make frozen and refrigerated foods the last purchase on your list, especially during these summer months.

7. Take groceries home and store them promptly.

The second step in the food-safe process is a clean kitchen. Know where bacteria can flourish and try to eliminate their feeding grounds on: HANDS -- Wash them in warm soapy water before and after every step in the food preparation process.

WORK SURFACES -- Clean them often and remove all food particles. Sanitise cutting boards after each use with a bleach and water solution, and let them air-dry. Don't use the same cutting board for raw meat and any other food.

UTENSILS -- Beware of cross-contamination. For example, don't carry the cooked meat to the table in the same dish used to carry the raw meat to the grill.

TOWELS AND DISH CLOTHS -- They can harbour bacteria.

Change them often. Throw out dirty sponges.

APPLIANCES -- Pay attention to the refrigerator. Wipe up spills right away, and keep shelves, sides and door sanitised.

The third step in the safe food process is to know what foods require special care -- meat, poultry, dairy products and canned goods.

1. Keep food out of the temperature danger zone of 40 F. to 140 F. Foods left out for more than two hours invite bacteria to grow! 2. Thaw in the refrigerator, never on the kitchen counter.

3. Cook meats well. It is not safe to eat raw or medium-rare fish, shellfish, eggs, meat or poultry.

4. Treat cracked eggs in the carton carefully. Don't use them! Cracked eggs can harbour disease-carrying organisms.

Remember the three basic safe food rules are: Keep foods clean.

Keep hot foods hot. All cooked foods should be cooked and held at temperatures higher than 140F. Lower cooking and holding temperatures prevent growth, but may let bacteria survive.

Keep cold foods cold. All cooked foods that are to be served cold or stored should be rapidly cooled to 40F or below.

The symptoms of food poisoning vary, and may cause one or more of the following: diarrhoea; cramps; vomiting; headaches; tiredness; fever; sweating; chills; muscle pain; dizziness and/or problems with vision.

For infants, the elderly and persons who are already unwell, food-borne illnesses can be fatal.

Marisa Sharpe, the Infection Control Practitioner at KEMH, states that in Bermuda, "Salmonella is the most common cause of food-borne illness requiring hospitalisation.'' So, remember the three basic "safe-food'' rules mentioned earlier in ensuring that your summertime eating is safe and enjoyable.

For more information on food safety, contact the Environmental Health and/or Nutrition Services at the Department of Health.

Mellonie Barnum Government Nutritionist Dept. of Health