When I was a student at Iowa State University, I worked in a job where I shared an office with an amazing resource. That resource was AnswerLine – a hotline that answers your questions about home, food, and family. As a young adult starting a home of her own, the AnswerLine folks gave me tips on food safety, food preservation, and cleaning. A few years later, I found myself working at Iowa State University again. Throughout my career, AnswerLine has been there to help me when I have tough questions about food and nutrition. As a mom, I rely on AnswerLine for tips on getting stains out of laundry. If you cannot tell already, I love AnswerLine and I want to share this resource with you today!

During this time of high food prices, I want to tell you about some things AnswerLine can help with. You can reach out to AnswerLine to find out:

• What dates mean on different food labels.
• The best ways to reduce food waste.
• The safest ways to store foods to make them last longer.
• How to package foods for the freezer in individual portions.

Reaching out to AnswerLine is easy:

• Call them Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.
  • 1-800-262-3804 in Iowa
  • 1-800-854-1678 in Minnesota
• Send them an e-mail at answer@iastate.edu.
• Visit AnswerLine’s website for a wide variety of resources.
• Check out the AnswerLine blog where they share their wisdom.