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| Food Safety Practices Critical
Part of Hurricane Awareness |
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Susan Conley (301) 344-4755
Matt Baun (301) 344-4743
WASHINGTON June 6, 2006
- As the 2006 hurricane season approaches, USDA's Food Safety
and Inspection Service today announced the availability of a comprehensive
collection of useful tips and answers to food safety questions for
Americans living in hurricane-prone states.
Available on FSIS' Web site, www.fsis.usda.gov, A
Consumer's Guide to Food Safety: Severe Storms and Hurricanes
(PDF Only; 872kb), provides information and recommendations about keeping
food safe during times of power outages and flooding.
"Food
safety should be a key consideration in hurricane awareness and preparedness,"
said USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond. "In
the hours after a tropical storm or hurricane, food safety can become
a critical public health issue. People can help protect themselves
from foodborne illness by adhering to USDA's food safety recommendations."
The Consumer's Guide provides specific food safety recommendations
on what to do before, during and after tropical storms and hurricanes.
For example, it includes recommendations for sanitizing kitchen items
that may have come into contact with flood waters, which often carry
bacteria and parasites that can trigger severe illnesses in people.
The guidelines also include recommendations about what to do with
food stored in refrigerators and freezers. Given the length of time
it takes for electricity to be restored to homes following a storm
event, foods that need refrigeration to remain safe may in fact become
unsafe due to conditions that allow the growth of disease causing
bacteria. Certain foods enter a bacterial "danger zone,"
once the internal refrigerator temperature exceeds 40 °F.
Specific recommendations that will help consumers in hurricane-prone
states include:
FOOD SAFETY AND POWER OUTAGES
- Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible
to maintain the cold temperature. Each time the door is opened,
a significant amount of cold air is lost.
- The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours
if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for
approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full and the door
remains closed.)
- Food may be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals
or is at 40° F or below.
- Never taste a food to determine its safety!
- Obtain dry or block ice to keep your refrigerator and freezer
as cold as possible if the power is going to be out for a prolonged
period of time. Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic-foot
full freezer for 2 days.
- If the power has been out for several days, then check the temperature
of the freezer with an appliance thermometer or food thermometer.
If the temperature is at 40° F or below, the food is safe.
- If a thermometer has not been kept in the freezer, then check
each package of food to determine its safety. If the food still
contains ice crystals, or is at 40° F or below then the food is
safe.
- Discard refrigerated perishable foods such as meat, poultry,
fish, soft cheeses, milk, eggs, leftovers and deli items after
4 hours without power.
WHEN FLOODING OCCURS
- Do not eat any food that may have come into contact with flood
water.
- Discard any food that is not in a waterproof container if there
is any chance that it has come into contact with flood water.
Food containers that are not waterproof include those with screw-caps,
snap lids, pull tops, and crimped caps. Also, discard cardboard
juice/milk/baby formula boxes and home canned foods if they have
come in contact with flood water, because they cannot be effectively
cleaned and sanitized.
- Inspect canned foods and discard any food in damaged cans.
Can damage is shown by swelling; leakage; punctures; holes; fractures;
extensive deep rusting; or crushing/denting severe enough to prevent
normal stacking or opening with a manual, wheel-type can opener.
- Undamaged, commercially prepared foods in all-metal cans and
retort pouches (for example, flexible, shelf-stable juice or seafood
pouches) can be saved if you do the following:
- Remove the labels, if they are the removable kind, since
they can harbor dirt and bacteria.
- Thoroughly wash the cans or retort pouches with soap and
water, using hot water if it is available.
- Brush or wipe away any dirt or silt.
- Rinse the cans or retort pouches with water that is safe
for drinking, if available, since dirt or residual soap will
reduce the effectiveness of chlorine sanitation.
- Then, sanitize them by immersion in one of the two following
ways:
- place in water and allow the water to come to a boil
and continue boiling for 2 minutes, or
- place in a freshly-made solution consisting of 1 tablespoon
of unscented liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking
water (or the cleanest, clearest water available) for
15 minutes.
- Air dry cans or retort pouches for a minimum of 1 hour
before opening or storing.
- If the labels were removable, then re-label your cans or
retort pouches, including the expiration date (if available),
with a marker.
- Food in reconditioned cans or retort pouches should be
used as soon as possible, thereafter.
- Any concentrated baby formula in reconditioned, all-metal
containers must be diluted with clean, drinking water.
- Thoroughly wash metal pans, ceramic dishes, and utensils (including
can openers) with soap and water, using hot water if available.
Rinse, and then sanitize them by boiling in clean water or immersing
them for 15 minutes in a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented,
liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water (or the cleanest,
clearest water available).
- Thoroughly wash countertops with soap and water, using hot
water if available. Rinse, and then sanitize by applying a solution
of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon
of drinking water (or the cleanest, clearest water available).
Allow to air dry.
If you have a question about meat, poultry or egg products,
call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline toll free at 1-888-MPHotline
or 1-888-674-6854, TTY: 1-800-256-7072. You can call the year-round
hotline Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST (English
or Spanish).
You may also listen to timely recorded food safety messages
at the same number 24 hours a day. Check out FSIS' Web site at https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081106102147/http://www.fsis.usda.gov.
E-mail questions can be answered by mphotline.fsis@usda.gov
You can also find answers to your questions about food safety by using "Ask
Karen," USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service's virtual representative.
"Ask Karen" is a feature that allows you to ask food safety related
questions 24 hours day, seven days a week. Visit "Ask Karen" at
https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081106102147/http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Food_Safety_Education/
Ask_Karen/index.asp#Question.
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Last Modified:
June 6, 2006 |
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