By the time your power resumes, many non-frozen and fresh foods left in your home will not be safe to eat even if they have been refrigerated. Harmful bacteria cause many foods to spoil quickly, especially in warm weather.
When deciding what to do with freezer contents, consider the following:
- Without power, a full, upright or chest freezer will keep everything frozen for about 2 days. A half-full freezer will keep food frozen 1 day.
- Squeeze packaged foods. If you can feel or hear the crunching of ice crystals, the food is only partially thawed and can be refrozen. If foods have partially thawed but have not reached room temperature, refreezing or immediate use is recommended.
- Never taste food to check for spoilage. “When in doubt, throw it out.” Food that has spoiled does not necessarily taste bad.
- All meat, dairy products, eggs, fish, seafood, processed cheese, vacuum packed meats or products containing the above should be discarded if they are warmer than 4°Celsius (40°Fahrenheit) for more than 4 hours.
- Watch for raw meat juices. Discard any food (including other meats) that has come in contact with raw meat juices. High protein content foods are very susceptible to spoilage and support the growth of disease-causing organisms.
- Remember, freezing and refreezing foods does not destroy disease-causing organisms.
When deciding what to do with refrigerator contents, consider the following:
- When refrigerated foods become warm, two things may occur: organisms can grow that cause spoilage of food or disease-causing organisms can grow causing illness. You cannot tell if food is safe to eat, or spoiled, by looking, tasting or smelling it.
- Without power, a refrigerator will keep food cool 4-6 hours. To keep food cold this long, keep the door shut as much as possible.
- If the outside temperature is 4oC or lower (40oF), food products can be stored out of the home, in a garage, shed or any location protected from animals, run-off water and snow. Food should be placed in containers and well covered for protection.
- All meat, dairy products, eggs, fish, seafood, processed cheese, vacuum packed meats or products containing the above should be discarded if they are warmer than 4oC (40oF) for more than 4 hours. High protein content foods are very susceptible to spoilage and support the growth of disease-causing organisms.
- Foods such as pickles, ketchup, soy sauce, mustard are more shelf stable at warmer temperatures.
- Never taste food to check for safeness. “When in doubt, throw it out.” Food that is unsafe does not necessarily taste or smell bad.
For more information, contact your Public Health Inspector at (705) 474-1400 or 1-800-563-2808.
Revised: September 2006
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