USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
Yes, there is a meat and poultry hotline. Apparently, 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-647-6854) receives about 80,000 calls annually. And, believe it or not, it’s been around since 1985. Someone needs to do a better job of marketing. Imagine how many more calls they would get if people actually knew about the number. Or am I in the minority here? Did you know about this hotline? Have you ever called it?
According to the website, they have actual experts on the line who specialize in food safety, nutrition, food technology, and even home economics. They are there to answer your questions about:
- Safe food storage, handling, preparation
- Product dating
- Product content
- Power outages and much more!
Don’t they sound like they are trying to sell you some useless appliance on late-night TV?
Everything is going smoothly and then all of a sudden it's, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS TURKEY!"
Anyways, you’d better hope that your food emergency happens on your average Tuesday afternoon. They are closed on weekends and all federal holidays. They give you a break, though, on Thanksgiving when they are open from 8am to 2pm (Eastern). If you dislike human contact or if the hotline is closed (as it often is), you may be able to find your answers on their extensive FAQ.
And, while persuing their FAQ, you should jump over to their activity report from 2000! You’ll surely be amused by the hotline’s extensive preparation for the alarming and potentially disastrous Y2K bug!:
A unique issue arose in 1999 related to the “millenium bug” expected to affect computer systems that had not been upgraded to correctly recognize and display dates after January 1, 2000. Consumer concern extended to the possible impact that computer system malfunctions would have on the food supply sector. During 1999, a number of Hotline callers stated that Y2K fears were at the heart of their food storage and food preservation questions.
During the last days of 1999 through the first few days of 2000, FSES participated actively in the overall FSIS business continuity contingency planning for the Y2K rollover. From December 31-January 2, Hotline food safety specialists monitored a special voice mailbox where consumers could leave a message if they were experiencing a Y2K emergency (emphasis added). No calls were received. Members of the Hotline staff served on the USDA Y2K Food Supply Working Group to exchange information about consumer concerns and to apprise Department officials of the types of questions answered by the Meat and Poultry Hotline.
That those experiencing an emergency “could leave a message” is very comforting indeed. Come on, these are federal employees. They weren’t going to give up their holiday for some little Y2K emergency.
I think we have all learned a valuable lesson: Emergency hotlines are best left to those not employed directly by the government.
January 29, 2009
Tags: education, food safety, triva, USDA Posted in: Fun Food Facts
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