When I head to the grocery store, I can't help it. I'm drawn to those pre-washed bags of salad that offer so much convenience for just little bit more money. You see, most of the time, I'm cooking for one and it seems like more trouble than it's worth to wash the lettuce and spin it dry. OK, go ahead and do your judging but don't try and tell me you haven't been taken in by their charms.

Yes, pre-washed salads are a dieter's best friend. But are they worth the extra cost? Probably not, since experts in the UK are speaking out about them, calling them unsafe and blaming them for a potential rise in food poisoning cases, particularly instances of salmonella and E. coli contamination.

So save your money and do what I do now: wash all your lettuce as soon as you get home from the grocery story, and put it in your fridge. That way, fresh lettuce is readily available, and you can ensure that it's been properly washed.

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Anyone who was scared off greens after the massive spinach recall two years ago might find themselves eating a big spinach salad soon. The FDA is allowing spinach and lettuce manufacturers to irradiate their products before they hit grocery store shelves. Irradiation, which is the process of exposing an object to radiation, kills dangerous bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, and listeria.

Irradiation won't sterilize the greens, but the FDA is hoping it will drastically reduce the risk of outbreaks like the one that killed four people in 2006. But critics wonder if irradiation is the answer. I worry that steps like this one will lull consumers into believing that the problems with our food safety have been fixed, and that it takes the focus away from farming and manufacturing processes that put us at risk in the first place.

It's not clear from the article whether irradiated spinach and greens will be labeled. Some people worry about the long-term health effects of eating irradiated foods, but the FDA assures consumers that there is no radiation left behind, nor does the process affect taste, texture, or nutritional value. What do you think?

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It's already well into July, and I'm sad to say that the number of cookouts I've been to seems unusually low. One here, one there -- but not too many. Could it be that no one wants to bake in the sun? Or that everyone is "at that age" where other obligations must come first? Or is it that people just aren't feeling the cookout scene as much these days?

I'm sure it doesn't help that there's still been no conclusive determination made on the recent E. coli outbreak. Is it tomatoes? Is it cilantro? Is it hot peppers? No one seems to know for sure, which may explain why people seem a bit hesitant to take too many chances with their food. A smart move, too, since an estimated 76 million Americans suffer from food poisoning each year. And, as you might expect, most of these cases take place in the summer, when the rising temperature creates a party of its own for harmful bacteria.

But if you're determined to keep the summer cookout alive and well (and hope for the same for your guests), make sure you're doing what you can to keep your food safe. Self magazine offers the following tips:

• Marinade your meats in the fridge instead of the countertop, where bacteria can grow.
• Use a meat thermometer to determine if a food is properly cooked, because color isn't always a reliable indicator. 145 degrees for steaks, 160 degrees for burgers, and 165 degrees for chicken.
• Don't place other food on plates that held raw meat, poultry, or seafood. Also be sure to use clean utensils every time.
• Clean your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling raw meat or poultry, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to kill germs.
• Store meat, poultry, eggs, cooked foods, fruits and vegetables, dressings, condiments -- basically, almost everything -- into a cooler as soon as possible to keep it safe.

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Many moons ago I was fresh out of college and working at my first "real" job. The department I worked in had a potluck to celebrate some random event. Everyone brought in food, the boss had a few bigger items catered, and we all had a great time. (We usually did. It was an incredibly fun place to work.) The next morning I walked in to the office and there was barely anyone in my department. In fact, all the cubicles next to me were deserted. I wandered around and finally found six other co-workers. The other 30 some people in my department had called in sick. Seriously. In a department of more than 40 people, only six of us weren't ill.

A few days later (after the rest of the staff had recuperated) we all compared notes. The six people who hadn't gotten sick were the only ones who hadn't eaten any of the giant catered sub sandwich. From that moment on, that sandwich was not-so-fondly referred to as the "salmonella sub."

Food poisoning is an unfortunately common occurrence. Rates of foodborne illnesses had declined for many years but, since 2004, they've remained steady. The CDC had aimed to greatly lower the level of such illnesses by 2010, but the stall in the decline is making that goal seem more difficult. CDC representatives say that we need to take greater measures with food safety. In 2007 there were more than 17,000 confirmed cases of foodborne infections.

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It's pretty bad when there is an E.Coli contamination that's found in beef supplies in the civilized world -- but it's rather odd and comical when a possible contamination is found in beef that was stolen.

That's what the USDA reported this past Thursday, as14,800 pounds of stolen beef were referenced in a public health alert (not a recall). A refrigerated trailer owned by Texas American Food Service Corporation was stolen with the beef on board, probably to be fenced somewhere in California. That was a joke.

So, with a "public health alert," the USDA basically is saying they have no clue if the beef will end up in the U.S. food supply -- but when it does, better watch out for signs of E.Coli contamination -- like potentially severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and dehydration.

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Is there any truth to the five-second rule? You know, that guiding principle we use when our food drops to the floor and we pick it right back up and eat it. As long as it hasn't been on the floor for more than five seconds, we're safe. Right?

We actually have longer than five seconds, says Anne Bernhard, assistant professor of biology at Connecticut College, whose students put this rule to the test.

Bernard and her team dropped apple slices, a wet food, and Skittles, a dry food, on a cafeteria floor -- which incidentally had been smeared with E.coli -- and then measured the results. Their conclusion: Moist foods are probably safe for 30 seconds, and dry food can stay on the ground for one minute. And that's with E.coli in the mix.

So the five-second rule appears to be legit -- if you trust this study, that is.

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Another food recall is in the works, as General Mills began recalling up to five million frozen pizzas yesterday sold under the Totino's and Jeno's labels. Cause: possible E. coli contamination.

So far, information suggested that certain lines of pepperoni from a General Mills plant in Ohio may have been contaminated with the bacteria, which can cause extreme illness but generally is not fatal except to those with weaker immune systems.

Here is the list of frozen pizzas that were recalled along with the UPC numbers for each.

• Totino's Party Supreme, 42800-10700
• Totino's Three Meat, 42800-10800
• Totino's Pepperoni, 42800-11400
• Totino's Pepperoni, 42800-92114
• Totino's Classic Pepperoni, 42800-11402
• Totino's Pepperoni Trio, 42800-72157
• Totino's Party Combo, 42800-11600
• Totino's Combo, 42800-92116
• Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Supreme, 35300-00561
• Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Pepperoni, 35300-00572
• Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Combo, 35300-00576

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E.coli has been in the news quite a bit recently, and here it is again. Agricultural food processor and gene manipulator (heh) Cargill Inc. indicated this past weekend that it will be recalling over 844,812 pounds of frozen beef patties. The reason? Why, possible E.coli contamination, of course.

The possible contamination was the result of finding illness cases in Wal-Mart's Sam's Club stores in Minnesota. As a result, Sam's Club pulled frozen hamburgers from store shelves over the weekend.

The Cargill-led recall then went into effect, and expanded outside Minnesota at this time. The product is "American Chef's Selection Angus Beef Patties" which were bought at any Sam's Club location since August. Customers are requested to destroy or return affected product at once.

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The state of Indiana has issued an outbreak alert due to E. coli due to the sickening of about 10 people in an Indiana elementary school (seven schoolchildren included), although school cafeteria food has now been ruled out as a possible cause.

With the Topps meat recall still fresh on the minds of millions after this past week's E.coli situation, Indiana officials made an adamant statement that its recall did not originate in the suspect school's cafeteria.

So far, at least three of the cases appear to have been caused from exposure to a sick family member -- but what about the others? This may be a case of spreading through human contact (direct or indirect) instead of food contamination.

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Dole has announced a bagged salad recall in the U.S. and Canada due to possible E. Coli contamination after a sample in Canada tested positive for the bacteria that can be fatal in some cases.

Although Dole reported this week that nobody had reportedly become ill or had medical complications from eating potentially tainted bagged vegetable products, it was being cautious be issuing the recall, according to the company.

The recall covers the "Dole Hearts Delight" salad mix with a "best is used by" September 19th date. So far, only this one product with that one expiration date has been singled out in the recall.

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This is one of those gadgets that you don't really need (just clean your kitchen and handle food properly) but you might want anyway. I'm not saying I necessarily want it, but guaranteed somebody out there does.

It's called the CulinaryPrep and it claims to kill up to 99.5% of bacteria, including E. coli, salmonella, listeria, and others. For only $400 (whoa!) you can tumble your food to disinfected safety in a matter of minutes.

To me it seems easier (and it just makes more sense) to keep a clean kitchen and watch what your doing when you prepare food. Washing your hands and being careful not to cross-contaminate isn't that difficult, is it?

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I think there's a little germophobe in all of us, I mean who isn't grossed out by the average public restroom? Germs, viruses, and bacteria are all around us, and although we can never eliminate them completely there are things we can do to drastically reduce their numbers and our exposure in key areas like on toothbrushes and doorknobs. You might be surprised at how many handy gadgets are out there to help, including things you've probably heard of before like toothbrush sanitizers to things you may not have -- like the handy PursePal that keeps your bag off the floor in restaurants and bars.

See this slideshow for all kinds of great germophobe-friendly ideas and products.

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We're not talking about fatty foods that clog arteries, or salty foods that raise blood pressure, or anything that causes severe allergic reactions -- we're talking about food-borne illnesses and the foods that carry them. We've had beef scares, spinach scares, peanut butter scares, and there are more to come you can be sure. As long as there are bacteria on this planet there will be the risk of it getting into our food.

eDiets has compiled this list of 13 foods that are commonly or most at risk for causing illness. Some are not surprising, like rare hamburger or raw wild mushrooms, but what about Caesar salad dressing, veggie sprouts, and even water?

So what isn't risky these days?

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Is it safe to microwave plastic? What's the scoop on non-stick cookware? Can reusing plastic water bottles be dangerous? There are a lot of opinions on these topics, and Women's Health Magazine recently wrote an article that tries to set the record straight on five rumors that may be circulating in your kitchen.

For instance, Teflon's got a bad rap lately because people fear that non-stick cookware can leach chemicals into their food during cooking. (I replaced my own non-stick with stainless a couple of years ago.) According to the most recent research, there probably isn't anything to worry about, but you should make sure to never let an empty pan on the burner, because in a situation like that, it can get hot enough to cause trouble.

More of your most burning questions are answered, such as: Is it ok to eat cookie dough from the tube? (No.) And should you wash that bagged lettuce one more time, even though it says it's ready to eat? (Yes.) You may not agree with their verdicts, but it's an interesting read nonetheless.

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It's an old joke really -- soap, being soap, never gets dirty right? Or does it? The Dial Corporation Technical Center recently did a test to answer the question definitively and found out that the risk of contamination from a bar of soap is basically nil. Even when bars of soap were inoculated with bacterias E. coli and P. aeruginosa at drastically high levels, participants who used the soap didn't have detectable levels of bacteria on their hands after they were done washing them. So there you go...another one of life's mysteries solved!

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