Have you ever had a question about what your cooking? I don't mean recipe, I mean safety. Is the expiration date exact. The power went out and I had something in the oven, did it go bad?

Enter a government agency that has your back.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service just announced they are ramping up their services to help out consumers. The FSIS  Meat and Poultry Hotline and Ask Karen chat services are increasing their hours.

The Food and Safety Inspection Service  Meat and Poultry Hotline has been educating consumers for over 30 years now. The FSIS says the mission of the toll-free telephone service is to assist in the prevention of foodborne illnesses by answering consumers’ questions about the safe storage, handling and preparation of meat, poultry and egg products. The hotline will now be open for two more hours, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

You can call the hotline and speak directly to a food expert at 1-888-674-6854 with whatever question is on your mind.

Backing up the hotline is FSIS's service called Ask Karen which has your back 24/7. The 24-hour online service provides answers to thousands of frequently asked questions while also giving consumers to ability to email or live-chat with a food safety specialist during operating hours.

Now serve me a big helping of that crock pot beef stew.

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