DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

WHAT TO DO WITH FOOD DURING & AFTER POWER OUTAGES

This has been reprinted from Food News for Consumers,
Summer 1989
US Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service.

BE PREPARED:
If you live in an area where loss of electricity from storms is a problem, you can plan ahead to be prepared for the worst. Stock up on shelf-stable foods - canned goods, juices and the new "no-freeze" dinners in paper cartons that last 6 to 8 months. Plan ahead for ice. Buy some freeze-pak inserts and keep hem frozen. Buy a cooler. Freeze water in plastic containers. Know in advance where you can buy dry and block ice. Develop emergency freezer sharing plans with friends and in another part of town or in a nearby area.

KEEP YOUR REFRIGERATOR AND FREEZER DOORS CLOSED:
Keep what cold air you have inside. Don't open the door any more than necessary. You'll be relieved to know that a full, freestanding freezer will stay at freezing temperatures about 2 days; a half-full freezer about 1 day. If your freezer is not full, group packages together so they form an "igloo" protecting each other.

If you think power will be out for several days, try to find some dry ice. Follow the handling instructions carefully, You don't want to touch the dry ice or breathe the fumes in an enclosed area. Twenty-five pounds of dry ice can be used in the refrigerator, block ice is better. You can put it in the refrigerator's freezer unit and place your refrigerated perishables there - meat, poultry, and dairy items. Group meets and poultry to one side or on a try so that if they being thawing, their juices won't get on other food.

IF FOOD HAS STARTED TO THAW, WHAT CAN SAFELY BE DONE?
You will have to evaluate each item separately. See the charts for different frozen and refrigerated foods. Generally, be very careful with meat and poultry product or any food containing milk, cream, sour cream or soft cheese. When in doubt, through them out.

WHAT ABOUT HOW THE FOOD WILL TASTE?
Raw meats and poultry from the freezer can usually be refrozen without too much quality loss. Prepare foods, vegetables and fruits can normally be refrozen, but there may be some quality loss. Fruits and fruit juices can be refrozen with minimal quality loss.

Refrigerated items should be safe as long as power is out no more than a few hours. After hat, you may have to discard them unless block ice was added to the refrigerator or they were transferred to the freezer.

Below are the rules of thumb guides for the actual handling of specific foods, follow the instructions in the chart. Remember, you can't relay on appearance or odor. never taste food, either, to determine its safety! some foods may look and smell fine, but if they've been at room temperature too long, food poisoning bacteria may have multiplied enough to cause illness. For more information, call the Meat and Poultry Hotline toll free at 1-800-535-4555, or your local Department of Health.

WHEN TO SAVE AND SERVE
AND WHEN TO THROW OUT YOUR FOOD