Keeping Food Safe During a Power Outage

Storms often cause power outages in our region that can last for days making food safety a real challenge.

Refrigerated or frozen foods may be safe for a period of time immediately following an outage, but will quickly become unsafe if power is not restored in a timely fashion.

Find out what you can do to keep food safe if the power goes out and when you need to throw away food that could make you sick.

Be Prepared for Emergencies!

Keep appliance thermometers in your refrigerator and freezer. Your refrigerator should be at 40°F or below. Your freezer should be at 0°F or below. Monitor temperatures as quickly as possible every hour, but try to keep the doors closed the rest of the time to retain the cold.

Keep several frozen containers of water or gel packs in your freezer to help keep your food cold in an emergency. They will help keep your freezer stay cold or can be moved to a

cooler to help keep refrigerated foods cold.

When a Storm is Predicted

Put some of the frozen containers of water or gel packs from your freezer in your refrigerator in case the power goes out. Have a cooler handy. You may wish to buy ice to keep food cold if a storm is predicted and the power might be interrupted. Ice may not be readily available after the power goes out.

During a Power Outage

Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed after the power goes out, except to monitor temperatures. After 4 hours without power, put refrigerated perishable foods in a cooler. Add ice or gel packs to keep them at 40°F or below. If unopened, a full freezer should be able to hold foods safely for 48 hours. A half full freezer should be able to hold foods safely for 24

hours.

During winter storms when it is cold outside (below 40°F), you may be able to put food

outside in a container that animals cannot get into until the power comes back on. If you

don’t have frozen gel blocks or ice, clean snow can be used to keep foods cold.

After a Power Outage

Never taste food to determine if it is safe to eat. Throw out any food with an unusual odor, color, or texture. When in doubt, throw it out!

Check temperatures of food kept in coolers or your refrigerator. Throw out perishable food (meat, poultry, seafood, fish, eggs, dairy products, cut tomatoes, cut melons, sprouts, cut leafy greens, and leftovers) if it has been above 40°F for 4 hours or more.

Check temperatures of food kept in your freezer. You can safely refreeze or cook thawed frozen food that still contains ice crystals or is at 40°F or below. Some foods commonly kept in a refrigerator may be safely eaten even if their temperature has been above 40°F for

more than 4 hours. These include mustard, ketchup, pickles, uncut fruits and vegetables (except sprouts), soda, and hard cheeses.