Key points in keeping food safe during a scheduled power outage

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Lora Wolski
  • 366th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  Here are a few helpful tips for keeping your food safe prior to the upcoming scheduled power outages.

Prior to the outage:
· Freeze containers of water for ice to help keep food cold in the freezer and refrigerator after the power is off.
· Plan ahead and know where to purchase dry ice and block ice. Do not handle dry ice with your bare hands.
· Group food together in the freezer to help foods stay cold longer.
· Do not place hot foods in refrigerators or freezers, as this will rapidly raise the temperature inside the refrigerator or freezer and make the other food unsafe.
· Keep foods available for eating that do not require refrigeration.
· Having an appliance thermometer in your refrigerator and freezer will help to identify the actual temperature when the power is restored. This will help you know if food is at safe temperatures. The refrigerator temperature should be 40 °F or below and the freezer, 0 °F or lower. If you are not sure a particular food is cold enough, take its temperature with a food thermometer. Sanitize the thermometer with an alcohol pad between uses.

During a power outage:
· Note the time when the power outage begins.
· Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. The reason is every time you open the door, cold air escapes causing the foods inside to reach unsafe temperatures. Food in refrigerators should be safe for four to six hours if the door 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.

After power is restored:
As long as you kept your refrigerator/freezer doors closed, you should not have any concerns for the scheduled power outage. However, here some other Public Health tips to consider after power is restored:
· An appliance thermometer will indicate how warm your refrigerator temperature became.
· If in doubt, check the internal food temperature using a food thermometer.
· Identify and discard any perishable foods (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers) that have been above 41 °F for over 4 hours
· Discard foods which have any unusual colors, odors or textures.
· Always discard any items in the refrigerator that have come into contact with raw meat juices.

If you have any food safety questions, please contact the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline (Consumer & Food Safety) at 1-888-674-6854 or MHAFB Public Health at (208) 828-7280. You may also e-mail questions to MPHotline.fsis@usda.gov or AskKaren.gov.