PULLMAN, Wash. — This summer Washington residents will be able to get answers to food preservation and safety questions by dialing 1-877- 541-2631 from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, from July 10 through October 1.
The hotline will be staffed by trained Washington State Cooperative Extension food safety advisors and volunteers. Any questions they do not have the expertise to answer will be referred to WSU faculty for responses.
Extension offices across the state receive in the neighborhood of 25,000 calls a year on food safety and food preservation questions, according to Val Hillers, extension food specialist. “Since most are about canning, we are staffing the hotline during the summer months.
“We encourage people to call us before they start preserving or order extension bulletins that can help them. However, they sometimes call us when the food is in the canner.”
The hotline is being underwritten by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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