Each year, food-borne illnesses in the United States afflict an estimated 76 million people, killing 5,000 of them and sending another estimated 300,000 to the hospital, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Throughout September -- National Food Safety Education Month -- the University of California Small Farm Center at UC Davis is reminding consumers that they are the final gatekeepers to a safe food supply. "Consumers should always have food safety in mind when grocery shopping, and cleaning, cooking or storing foods," stresses Linda Harris, a UC Davis Cooperative Extension food microbiologist. "The goal is to prevent the growth and spread of bacteria, which are the cause of most food-borne illnesses." Harris, a key participant in the UC Small Farm Center's food safety project, encourages consumers to buy perishable foods at the end of their shopping trip; wash hands, utensils and kitchen surfaces with hot, soapy water; cook foods sufficiently to kill bacteria; and refrigerate perishables, prepared foods and leftovers within two hours. More food safety advice is available at the Small Farm Center Web site at http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu, at the Food and Drug Administration Web site at http://www.FoodSafety.gov/September and at the Fight BAC Web site at http://www.fightbac.org.