CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire’s Health Department says it’s investigating an outbreak of E. coli bacteria associated with ground beef after 12 people got sick eating the meat since June. The department says investigations are underway to determine the source of the ground beef. The department says the people who became ill ate ground beef at a number of different locations in the state. The outbreak does not present a risk to New Hampshire residents as long as they strictly follow food safety best practices, including cooking ground beef at a temperature of at least 160 F or 70?C. People also should also prevent cross contamination in food preparation areas by thoroughly washing hands, counters, cutting boards, and utensils after they touch raw meat.