The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service now offers an online resource called "Ask Karen" that allows consumers to research food safety questions 24/7. In a nutshell, "Ask Karen" is a knowledge base that contains information about preventing foodborne illness, safe food handling and storage, and safe preparation of meat, poultry, and egg products.
The service includes a list of common food safety questions such as:
- How long can I keep meat in the refrigerator?
- How long is meat or poultry safe to use after the sell-by date?
- Is food safe after the date expires?
- How can I keep food safe outdoors?
- Is food safe if left out overnight?
- How do you keep food safe on a picnic?
- How do you avoid cross-contamination when grilling?
- Is it safe to refreeze food that has thawed?
- How long can you keep dairy products?
- Where can I get information about the JBS Swift Beef Company recall?
- Is the E coli O157:H7 toxin killed through cooking?
- What are the symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 illness?
- Where can consumers find information on recalls of food products?
And much more…
