Food Safety Tips

—NEVER EAT EGGS RAW. If you want to eat cookie dough without cooking it, and you are making it at home, consider using pasteurized eggs.

—WASH WELL. Always thoroughly wash your hands, food and cooking surfaces and utensils before and after preparing any food that could be contaminated, and after touching any animals that could carry salmonella, particularly reptiles.

—COOK SUFFICIENTLY. Many bacteria can be destroyed when food is cooked to recommended temperatures. However, Nestle and the FDA are recommending that no one bake or eat the products being recalled in any form.

—CHILL PROMPTLY. Stow perishables as soon as you bring them home, and check that your refrigerator is at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below and your freezer at zero degrees Fahrenheit or below.

—ALWAYS OBEY RECALLS. For a constantly updating list of food and drug recalls, check http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm . For information on food-borne germs that can make people sick, visit http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm103263.htm.