Weekly Nutrition News:
Food Safety and Power Outages
- by Mary Beth Campbell, MSRD

• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed so heat stays out and cold stays in. Most refrigerators stay cold for at least four to six hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen, if the doors stay closed.
• Frozen foods can gold for about two days in a full freezer if the door stays closed. A freezer that is half full will stay cold for about one day. Each package of frozen food acts like a block of ice, helping to keep the freezer well insulated.
• Once the power is back on, don’t rely on appearance or odor as your guide to food safety. Instead follow these guidelines:
  • If foods in the freezer still have ice crystals, refreeze them right away. Then use them as soon as you can.
  • Throw out perishable foods held at room temperature for more than two hours: meat, poultry and fish, milk, soft cheese and yogurt, soups, leftover foods, cooked pasta, mayonnaise, and many refrigerated desserts. Dispose of these foods safely—where animals can’t eat them.
  • If the power has been off only a few hours, it’s OK to keep less-perishable foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, nuts, hard and processed cheese, condiments, butter and margarine often keep for several days at room temperature. Toss food out, however, if it turns moldy or smells bad.
• Plan for unexpected emergencies. No matter where you live, experts advise keeping a three-day supply of food and water on hand for you and your family.
• Stock up on nonperishable foods: ready-to-eat canned meat, fruits, juices, shelf-stable milk, soups, and vegetables. Canned foods are better than foods in glass bottles or jars because they won’t break in a disaster. Choose single-serving portions too because you may have no way to keep leftovers cold. Keep some high-energy foods on hand such as peanut butter, nuts, and trail mix.
• Rotate your emergency food supply every year. That way it’s fresh when you need it.
• Fill plastic containers with enough water for your family, one gallon of water per person per day.
• Keep manual can openers on your emergency shelf.