When summer parties and picnics are in full swing, you don't want your cookout to create a sickout.

As many as 80 million Americans suffer a bout of food poisoning each year. Many of those cases are preventable with a little advance preparation before the food leaves the safety of the fridge for the great outdoors, experts say.

There are three main reasons the threat of food poisoning rises when the meal goes outdoors, according to Angela M. Fraser, a food safety specialist writing on the Web site for North Carolina Cooperative Extension.

"Food receives a lot of handling (and) handling increases the risk of contamination with harmful bacteria," Fraser wrote. "Warm temperatures promote bacterial growth. (And) food sits out for long periods of time. Warm temperatures support the growth of harmful bacteria. The longer food is at warm temperatures, the more likely food-borne illness will result."

Fight Bac With Tools

Start fighting back the night before the picnic by collecting all the tools you'll need to stay safe. That includes plenty of utensils and tongs so you never have to cross-contaminate tools that have touched raw meat with tools used for cooked meat; a roll of aluminum foil to keep cooked foods at or near the grill warm and covered; plenty of ice or ice packs; and separate coolers for drinks and meats.

"Carry your beverages in a separate cooler than everything else because you open it a lot," said University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension registered dietitian Alice Henneman. "Then, your meats and veggies don't get warm."

Marinate meats in the refrigerator the night before the picnic. Bacteria can grow when meat marinates in the open air. And don't forget, you'll want separate batches of marinade -- one for dunking the raw meat in and a separate batch for using as sauce on the finished product.

Cross-contamination is the big no-no of outdoor eating. It also means separate plates for raw and cooked meats.

Finally, pack sterile towelettes.

"Take along some towelettes to wipe down between handling foods. There may not be water around," Henneman said.

On picnic day, don't transport coolers in your car's trunk. Keep them in the air-conditioned passenger area. By doing so, the ice lasts longer.

Watch Your Temps

Alegent Health registered dietitian Toni Kuehneman said to remember the rule of 40 to 140. Foods meant to be cold need to be stored at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Foods meant to be hot should be cooked to 140 degrees or hotter.

"That's what they do at the salad bar at the restaurants -- every 15 minutes, somebody takes the temp," Kuehneman said. There's a product on the market designed to help accomplish both. Coolest-Gadgets.com reported that the Autobahn Thermoelectric is a cooler and an oven. It needs a power source, but once it's running, it cools to nearly 50 degrees Fahrenheit lower than the environment. Flip the switch, and it warms contents. Meat cooked on the grill also needs to be tested for internal temperate -- simply looking for the juices to run clear won't ensure that it's hot enough to kill bacteria. As seen on TV, the ThermoSpatula has an instant-read digital thermometer to test internal temps. When Omaha television station KETV tested the product, it found that ThermoSpatula signals that the meat is finished when it was not quite done enough, but the $10 gadget can get you in the ballpark while doubling as a spatula to move meat from the grill to the bun.

For sausages and hot dogs that are precooked, grill until the meat is steaming hot. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers tips for outdoor cooking beyond grilling. "Smoking is done much more slowly than grilling. The temperature in the smoker should be maintained at 250 to 300 degrees for safety," the USDA advised. For pit roasting, meat is cooked for 10 to 12 hours. In both smoking and pit roasting, the USDA recommends testing the meat's internal temperature before serving.

You also need to handle cold foods, such as fruits and vegetables, with care. MedicineNet.com advised that melons and fruits can be a risk for food-borne illness if they aren't stored and prepared properly.

"Before cutting into a melon, wash the outer surface with water thoroughly to remove surface dirt -- even if the melon looks clean," the Web site said. "Once a melon has been cut, you must keep it chilled in ice or refrigerated at 45 degrees or less. Cut melons can be served without refrigeration for a maximum of 4 hours."

Fruits and vegetables are safe at air temperature until you cut into them, Henneman said. Breaking the skin raises the risk for bacteria to grow.

Warm Mayo Myth

Registered dietitian Kathy Tack, of Iowa's Glenwood Resource Center, wanted to bust one picnic myth: Mayo isn't the threat in your basic potato salad.

"That's acidic enough, but the bacteria prefer the eggs and potato in the salad, so keep it cold and covered," Tack said. Once the picnic is in full swing, you've got about an hour in 90-degree plus weather to consume everything or get it back in the coolers.

Don't leave it out to munch on throughout the day, but instead use aluminum foil to keep meat and beans warm on the grill and pack salads, fruits and vegetables back into iced coolers. Discard anything you can't keep cold until you get it back home into the fridge.

Complete safe grilling tips are at FightBac.org, the Partnership for Food Safety Education.