Remember food safety after power outage

  • Published
  • By 19th Medical Group
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  The 19th Medical Group's Public Health experts have has some important information about food safety during and after a power outage.

Bottom line: "when in doubt, throw it out!"

As a general rule, if the power is out for less than four hours, then the food in your
refrigerator and freezer will be safe to consume. While the power is out,
keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to keep
food cold for longer.

If the power is out for longer than four hours, follow the guidelines below:
-- For the Freezer section: A freezer that is half full will hold food safely for up to 24 hours. A full freezer will hold food safely for 48 hours. Do not open the freezer door if you can avoid it.

--  For the Refrigerated section: Pack milk, other dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, gravy, and spoilable leftovers into a cooler surrounded by ice. Inexpensive Styrofoam coolers are fine for this purpose.

-- Use a food thermometer to check the temperature of your food right before you cook or eat it. Throw away any high protein, high moisture food such as meat, poultry, fish, or eggs as well as cut fruit or bagged/pre-prepared salads that have a temperature of more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit. 

-- Never taste-test a food to see if it is "bad." It only takes a little bit of bacteria to make you very sick!

For more information about food safety, call Public Health at 987-7209.