The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports the Kroger Co. has recalled ground beef in Michigan and central and northwestern Ohio in response to the 32 E. coli infections reported in the two states.

Washington County isn't one of the counties with reported E. coli O157:H7 infections or the recall but there are steps to take to kill the bacteria before you come in contact with it.

The Ohio Health Department says E. coli infection is a serious illness but is preventable.

We spoke with Mullinex's Meat Processing in Washington County where employees slaughter and process only locally raised meat. It's state inspected every day.

Farmers say it helps to know where you get your meat from and they can trace it back directly to the source.

A spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Agriculture says despite safety measures, there's always a chance for E. coli contamination.

So when you're preparing your meat, the USDA says be sure to clean, separate, cook at proper temperatures, and refrigerate promptly.

"Another really important precaution is to cook food to the correct internal temperature. In the case of ground beef and the E. coli we've seen on the news is the 160 degrees. So the only way to know that you've reached 160 degrees is to use a food thermometer," says Kathy Dodrill, OSU Extension Educator of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Dodrill says checking the meat to see if it's pink isn't good enough. She says the meat can become brown just from being exposed to the air.

"We've historically had the visual sign to the visual cues you know if it's pink in the middle it's probably not safe but we just know from research that the color is not an accurate indicator. The only way to know for sure is with a food thermometer," said Dodrill.

The bacteria is on the surface of the meat so if you grill a steak the bacteria will be killed quicker from the heat on the stove or grill but with ground meat, the surface of the meat is mixed into the whole meat product so the internal temperature has to reach 160 degrees.

The Ohio Departments of Health and Agriculture also specifically say clean your hands and surfaces often; don't spread bacteria in your kitchen; drink only pasteurized milk, juice or cider; drink water from safe sources; and wash all fruits and vegetables before you eat them.

For more information on preventing food borne illness, log on to the "Fight BAC!" Web site below. You can also call The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHOTLINE or 800-256-7076. Also you can call the US Food and Drug Administration Food Information Hotline at 1-888-SAFEFOOD.

If you're interested on where to buy meat locally, you can call your local extension office for a list of farmers and meat processing facilities. This is a list of some in the surrounding area.

Washington County:
Mullenix Meat Processing, Little Hocking 740-667-0284
Pine Ridge Meat Processing, Fleming 740-749-3166
Riverview Meat Processing, Marietta 740-373-4989

Wood County:
Pioneer Meat Processing, Waverly 304-679-3755

Noble County:
Saling Custom Processing, Caldwell 740-732-4667

Farmers Markets:
River City Farmers Market, Fairgrounds in Marietta - Saturdays from 8am to Noon