Keep Food Safe During a Power Outage
By: Joanne | July 29, 2008 | Category: Health
I woke up this morning to a power outage. Naturally my first instinct was to panic – I can’t make coffee! Then I collected myself, found an electric bill and reported the outage to the power company and within an hour I was grinding coffee beans.
I’m lucky that I’m rarely without power and if it does go out, it’s only for a short time. What concerns me most during a power outage (after coffee) is the food in the refrigerator and freezer. Summertime is when you have to be the most careful about handling food – the heat, humidity and power outages caused by summer storms can all make your food bad, and worse, make you sick.
I know we all hate the idea of throwing food away – it’s so expensive these days and we hate to waste it. But remember it’s better to be safe than sorry. Salmonella and other food-borne illnesses are not to be taken lightly.
The good news is that it’s pretty easy to take care of your food for a short power outage, and there are steps you can take to save your food for a longer outage too. Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed. An unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold enough for a couple of hours at least. A freezer that is half full will hold for up to 24 hours and a full freezer for 48 hours. When the power comes back on, use a thermometer to check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer. If the refrigerator is 40° F or colder, and the freezer is still colder than 40° F, the food is safe.
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Here are some tips on how to safely restore power due to unexpected power outages and safely use emergency generators.
How to Choose the Right Emergency Electric Generator
http://www.mainpowerconnect.com/static3/howto.asp
How to Safely Operate a Portable Generator and Transfer Switch
http://www.mainpowerconnect.com/static3/index.asp
Generator Safety Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.mainpowerconnect.com/static3/faq.asp
Comment Permalink1. Never taste a food to determine its safety!
2. Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.
3. The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened.
4. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full and the door remains closed).
5. Food may be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below.
6. Obtain block ice or dry 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.
7. Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic-foot full freezer for 2 days.
8. 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 food still contains ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below, the food is safe.
9. If a thermometer has not been kept in the freezer, then check each package of food to determine its safety.
10. If the food still contains ice crystals, the food is safe.
11. Discard refrigerated perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, soft cheeses, milk, eggs, leftovers, and deli items after 4 hours without power.
12. When in Doubt, Throw it Out!
For more information from the USDA see these helpful resources:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/refrigeration_&_food_safety/index.asp
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/Emergency_Preparedness_Fact_Sheets/index.asp
http://www.uspowerco.com also has some good informational articles that relate to standby power generator safety, food safety and electrical safety during major power outages. Be Safe! Thanks for the article!
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