Food Safety During Power Outage
Kansas State University has compiled a list of tips for evaluating food safety after a power outage:
- When in doubt, throw it out.
- Never taste a food to determine its safety.
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain low temperatures. If unopened, a refrigerator will remain safely cold for about four hours. With its door closed, a full freezer will hold temperature for about 48 hours (a half-full one, for 24 hours). Each door opening causes a significant loss of cold air.
- After four hours without power or at temperatures above 40 degrees,
discard refrigerated perishable foods, such as meat, poultry, fish, soft cheeses, milk, eggs, leftovers and deli items. - Food is safe to refreeze if it still contains ice crystals or it is 40 degrees or colder.
- If you live where it is below freezing outside, take advantage of the weather and freeze water in plastic containers such as a bucket or milk jug to help cool food in the refrigerator or freezer.
- If the power has been out for several days, check the temperature on the freezer´s appliance or food thermometer to find out if the food is at 40 degrees or below (safe). Or, if you haven´t been keeping a thermometer in the freezer, check each package of food for ice crystals to determine its safety.
- If uncooked meat juices have dripped onto other foods, throw those
foods away.
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