Worried About Spoiled Food During a Power Outage?
2020 has been an eventful year and persisting with extreme weather and natural disasters, such as hurricanes, wildfires, ice storms, earthquakes, tornados, floods and thunderstorms. Consequently, power outages are a common outcome. While you cannot always predict the weather, it is good to have an emergency plan and be informed on food safety to keep food from spoiling and you from hunger.
What to do if you are in a Power Outage?
Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature
How long will the food be good, if I don’t open the door?
Refrigerator ~4 hours
Full freezer ~48 hours (half full freezer ~24 hours)
What if I’m out of power longer?
Buy dry or block ice to keep the refrigerator as cold as possible and could keep the freezer cold for additional two days
Stock up on non-perishable supplies for at least 3-5 days
Bottled water: at least 5 gallons per person and pets (~1 gallon per day per person)
Don’t have bottled water, but have a gas stove boiling water is enough to kill most types of disease-causing organisms
Shelf-stable foods that don’t require any cooking
Choose canned goods with a pop top lid or use non-electric can opener
Fruits & Vegetables:
Bananas, apples, oranges, carrots
Canned fruit and vegetables
Dried fruit
Single-serving containers/pouches of applesauce
Single-serving containers of 100% fruit or vegetable juice
Dairy:
Individual milk boxes
Non-refrigerated pudding cups
Grains
Bread
Cereal
Granola and/or granola bars
Crackers
Pre-cooked packets of rice
Protein
Canned or pouches of meats such as tuna, salmon, chicken
Jerky, such as beef, chicken or turkey jerky
Nut butters
Nuts and seeds
Trail mix
Pre-packaged protein bars
Once Power is Restored:
Determine the safety of your food by checking temperatures
Food is safe if
Freezer temperature reads 40°F or below
Refrigerated perishable foods 40°F or below
Meat, poultry or fish
Milk or yogurt
Eggs
Leftovers
Refrigerated foods held above 40°F for more than two hours
Hard cheeses, processed cheeses, grated parmesan in a can or jar
Butter or margarine
Fresh fruit or vegetables uncut, mushrooms
Jelly, relish, mustard, olives, pickles
BBQ, soy, Worcestershire and taco sauces
Vinegar-based salad dressings
Breads, bagels, tortillas
Unsafe food
Refrigerated perishable foods (such as meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs or leftovers) above 40°F for two hours or more could cause illness even if food is cook thoroughly
For a longer list of foods to discard refer to https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/food-safety-during-power-outage
Discard any unsafe food
For floods, throw away food that came into contact with flood water and disinfect containers of undamaged, commercially prepared foods in cans or pouches
Discard all ice in the ice machines of freezers; clean and sanitize and run the ice three cycles and discard ice each cycle
Run your dishwasher (empty) to flush the water lines prior to washing dishes/utensils
Additional resources on keeping food safe and during a power outage: