Food Safety & Power Outages

Preparing your fridge or freezer for a possible power outage

At the first news of inclement weather, consider taking these precautionary measures from the USDA, listed below.

• Keep an appliance thermometer in the refrigerator and freezer. An appliance thermometer will indicate the temperature in the refrigerator and freezer in case of a power outage and help determine the safety of the food.

• Make sure the freezer is at 0 F or below and the refrigerator is at 40 F or below.

• Freeze containers of water for ice to help keep food cold in the freezer, refrigerator or coolers after the power is out.

• Freeze refrigerated items, such as leftovers, milk and fresh meat and poultry, that you may not need immediately—this helps keep them at a safe temperature longer.

• Plan ahead and know where dry ice and block ice can be purchased.

• Have coolers on hand to keep refrigerator food cold if the power will be out for more than 4 hours. Purchase or make ice cubes and store in the freezer for use in the refrigerator or in a cooler. Freeze gel packs ahead of time for use in coolers.

• Group food together in the freezer—this helps the food stay cold longer.

• Store food on shelves that will be safely out of the way of contaminated water in case of flooding.

If a power outage has already occurred

• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed to maintain the cold temperature. 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) if the door remains closed.

• Discard refrigerated perishable food, such as meat, poultry, fish, soft cheeses, milk, eggs, leftovers and deli items, after 4 hours without power.

• Food may be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or is at 40 F or below when checked with a food thermometer.

• 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 two days.

• If the power has been out for several days, check the temperature of the freezer with an appliance thermometer. If the appliance thermometer reads 40 F or below, the food is safe to refreeze.

• If a thermometer has not been kept in the freezer, check each package of food to determine its safety. If the food still contains ice crystals, the food is safe.
• When in doubt, throw it out!

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