There are many things to keep in mind to ensure you are cooking your meat properly.

Director for Canada Beef Inc., Heather Travis says you need to make sure your countertops are clean and your kitchen is food ready before you begin to prepare a meal.

She suggests using different cutting boards and utensils for raw meat and cooked meat.

"Make sure that after you open any of raw meat packages or poultry packages, you are using separate utensils for those raw versus cooked," Travis says. "A great trick I like to use when I am barbecuing is using separate tongs, so I have some tongs that are blue and those are for my raw meats and poultry and I have some tongs that are red and those are for my cooked meats and poultry."

Canada Beef Inc. has some helpful tips:

-Cook meat to a safe internal temperature.  For ground beef it's 71C/160F - use a digital instant read thermometer to know for sure.
-Wash hands before and after handling food and frequently while cooking, especially after handling raw meat and poultry. See what our culinary expert has to say about this.
-Avoid cross contamination of food by washing utensils, plates and cutting boards that have come into contact with raw meat and poultry, in hot, soapy water.
-Wash all raw fruits and vegetables before you prepare and eat them.
-Refrigerate or freeze foods promptly. See this handy video on tips for Loving Leftovers.
-When grocery shopping, add meats and other items that should stay cool, to your cart last and be sure to keep them separate from other items in the cart.

It's important to remember that E. coli can be found in raw meat, poultry, unpasteurized milk and fruit juices, raw greens and vegetables.

"Make sure all of your fruits and vegetables are washed thoroughly in cold, drinkable water before you eat them," Travis says.

She adds that it's also really important to wash out your reusable grocery bags between trips.

For more information on Canada Beef Inc. visit Canada Beef