Handling Food When the Power Goes Off

Pat Beck retired, Nutrition Specialist

In the event of a power failure, frozen or refrigerated foods warmed to above refrigeration temperatures of 40 degrees for over two hours may not be safe to eat.

In emergency conditions, foods that should keep for a few days at room temperature (about 68 to 72 degrees) include:

• Butter, margarine
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Dried fruits and coconut
• Open jars of peanut butter, jelly, relish, taco sauce, barbecue sauce, mustard, ketchup and olives.
• Hard and processed cheeses
• Fruit juices
• Fresh herbs and spices
• Fruit pies

Discard anything that turns moldy or has an unusual odor or look.

Discard the following foods if they have been kept at above 40 degrees for over two hours:

• Raw or cooked meat, poultry and seafood
• Milk or cream, yogurt, soft cheese
• Cooked pasta, pasta salads
• Custard, chiffon or cheese pies
• Fresh eggs, egg substitutes
• Meat-topped pizza, lunchmeats
• Casseroles, stews or soups
• Refrigerator dough
• Cream-filled pasteries

Partially thawed frozen foods that still have ice crystals can be safely refrozen.

Most once-frozen foods that have thawed completely could be cooked and eaten immediatley if they have not been above 40 degrees for more than two hours. Items can be refrozen after cooking. If the time above 40 degrees is more than two hours or unknown, the thawed foods should be discarded.

Foods in a freezer without power may stay frozen from one to three days, depending on conditions:

• The door must remain closed.
• The freezer must be mostly full. The less full the freezer, the shorter time foods will stay frozen.
• The temperature outside the freezer must be moderate.
• The freezer must be large and well insulated. Small freezers will keeps foods frozen for shorter periods of time.

If food is still frozen but power will not be restored within a reasonable time, consider taking action to keep it frozen. Find freezer space at a friend's house, or possibly a church or school. Take foods to a commercial locker plant. Use dry ice to keep food frozen in the freezer.

Tips on Using Dry Ice

Dry ice may not always be easy to find. Check the telephone book yellow pages, with your power company, or with a local dairy or cold-storage warehouse.

Dry ice registers a temperature of minus 216 degrees F., so use it with care. Follow these guidelines:

• Wear gloves when handling dry ice.
• Allow 2½ to 3 pounds of ice per cubic foot of freezer space (a 50-pound block of dry ice should keep food safe in a full 18-cubic-foot freezer for at least two days). More will be needed in upright freezers, and ice should be placed on each shelf. Your supplier may be able to cut blocks into slabs.
• If food from upright freezers can be tightly packed in coolers with dry ice, it may be easier to keep the food frozen for a longer period of time.
• If a freezer has a limited amount of food in it, pack the food compactly in coolers with dry ice.
• Fill a partly empty freezer with material like crumpled newspaper, clean bath towels or blankets to cut down on air circulation, which hastens dissipation of dry ice.
• Some suggest separating dry ice from direct contact with food packaging by placing boards or heavy cardboard between packages and ice. Ice may be wrapped in brown paper for longer storage.
• As dry ice dissipates it becomes a gas. To avoid gas fumes, wait a few moments after opening the door of a chest freezer before bending over it. Stand back a bit when opening the door of an upright freezer.

Safe Handling of Food and Utensils After a Flood

Flood waters may carry silt, raw sewage, oil or chemical waste which can make storm-damaged foods unsafe to eat. If you have a question about the safety of any item, dispose of it. Otherwise keep the following points in mind:

Discard the following foods if flood water has covered, dripped on or seeped into the package: fresh produce; meat, poultry, fish and eggs; paper, cloth or fiber, cardboard boxes, even if the contents seem dry, including cereals, past products, rice, salt and any "sealed" packages of crackers, cookies or mixes within a larger paper box; foods with cardboard seals such as mayonnaise and salad dressing; foil or cellophane packages; food in glass jars, including unopened jars with waxed paper, foil, cellophane or cloth covers; home-canned foods (Some tightly sealed home-canned foods may be safe depending on conditions. Contact a food preservation specialist or local health department for advice.); preserves sealed with paraffin; spices, seasonings and extracts; foods, liquids or beverages in crown-capped bottles or containers with pull-tab tops, corks or screw caps; all opened containers and packages; foods in bags or canisters; cans which are dented, leaking, bulging or rusted, and cans which have been tossed about and are far from their normal storage spot.

Destroy all foods that were covered by water which may have been contaminated with industrial waste, including foods sealed in unopened cans.

Cans of food that do not have dents or rust can be saved if they are handled properly before they are opened. Be sure to wash and sanitize undamaged containers before opening the can. For added safety boil food before using.

To disinfect undamaged cans remove paper labels (paper can harbor bacteria) and re-label with a permanent marker. Then wash the containers in a strong detergent solution. Use a brush to remove any dirt and silt. Rinse the scrubbed containers. Thorough removal of dirt and silt and rinsing are extremely important because the disinfecting action of the chlorine solution is diminished by any substances left on the containers.

Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands during the disinfection process. Strong detergent and bleach solutions can be hard on bare hands.

Immerse the clean, rinsed containers in a lukewarm (75 to 120 degrees)f solution of chlorine for two minutes. Use 2 tablespoons of 5% chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Chlorine loses its effectiveness when it is in a solution and open to the air or when it comes in contact with unclean materials, so it is important to change this disinfecting solution frequently. It must be dumped if you see the water starting to lose its clarity. Remove the containers from the bleach solution and allow to air dry before opening or storing. Use disinfected containers as soon as possible because they may rust.

Dishes and utensils: Wash all dishes and utensils in hot soapy water with a brush to remove dirt. Sanitize glass, ceramic and china dishes, glass baby bottles, and empty canning jars the same way as for undamaged cans. Dishes with deep cracks should be thrown away. Metal pans and utensils can be disinfected by immersing them in water and boiling for 10 minutes.

Kitchen utensils made of iron will probably be rusted. Remove the rust by scouring with steel wool. Disinfect with the bleach solution and re-season. To do this, apply a light coat of unsalted fat or oil and place in a 350-degree oven for about an hour.

(Sources: USDA, Florida Extension Service, Nebraska Extension Service, Missouri Extension Service)