Feature Articles
So, the Power Has Been Off!
Now, What About the Food?
Karma Metzgar, C.F.C.S. Former Northwest Regional Nutrition Specialist, Nodaway County Extension Center, University of Missouri Extension
When freezers or refrigerators are off for several hours whether it’s from a storm, forgetfulness or accidental, the food safety rules about what to keep or toss are the same. This article will review some basic rules of thumb for food safety. Why don’t you clip this article and post it beside your freezer or even on your refrigerator door?
Let’s start with the freezer. The basic guide is if the food still has ice crystals inside it, it can be refrozen. I suggest that you take a permanent marker or crayon and mark each package in the freezer with an “X” indicating that it was partially thawed. Any items which do not have ice crystals should be tossed.
What if you don’t know how thawed the food items were before the freezer came back on? If you notice blood on neighboring packages or in the bottom of the freezer, this is an indication of advanced thawing. At this point, since we are dealing with an unknown, the rule is “if in doubt, throw it out.”
What about the refrigerator? Since your refrigerator should be about 40 degrees or below during normal operation, two hours without power will mean you need to do some tossing.
Tossing is the hardest thing to do. But when we are in doubt, we need to throw out.
Here are some guidelines to help you salvage as much as possible.
All the following foods need to be tossed if kept
more than two hours above 40 degrees.
| Raw or cooked meat, poultry, fish | Lunch meats and hot dogs |
| Hard cooked or cracked eggs | Casseroles, stews or soups |
| Custard, chiffon or cheese pies | Egg substitutes |
| Milk, cream yogurt or soft cheese | Cream-filled pastries |
| Creamy-based salad dressings | Cookie dough |
The condiments in the refrigerator door like opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce and horseradish need to be tossed if they were held above 50 degrees for more than eight hours.
The following refrigerated foods should keep at room
temperature a few days. Toss if they turn moldy or have
an unusual odor.
| Butter or margarine | Taco sauce |
| Spices | Hard and processed cheese |
| Barbecue sauce | Relishes |
| Ketchup | Mustard |
| Fresh fruits and vegetables | Dried fruits and coconut |
| Fruit juices | Peanut butter |
| Fruit pies, bread, rolls and muffins | Jelly |
| Cakes, except cream-filled or cream-cheese frosted | |
| Opened bottles of vinegar-based salad dressings | |
The Food Safety and Inspection Service’s Web site has a nice chart on specific foods and recommendations on salvaging or discarding after a power outage. View it at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/pofeature.htm.
In addition to food safety, don’t forget about water
safety following a tornado (or flood). Drink only
approved or chlorinated water. If you have a well, have
it tested before drinking the water. You local county
health department has testing kits.
This information was taken from a fact sheet from USDA
on Tornado Food Safety. If you have questions, contact
your local extension center.
Last Updated 10/25/2007
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