Tips for food safety if your power goes out:
- If in doubt, throw it out. Remember, never taste suspicious food.
- Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible - this will keep foods cold for about four hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours if the door remains closed. A freezer that is half full will keep the temperature for about 24 hours.
- Be sure to keep meat, seafood, and dairy products as cold as possible. Discard any perishable food that has been above 40°F for over two hours.
- If it looks like the power outage will continue beyond a day, prepare a cooler with ice for your freezer items.
- Generally, the following items can be kept on a countertop:
- Jams and jellies
- Butter and margarine
- Ketchup, mustard, pickles, relish and similar condiments
- Fresh uncut fruits and vegetables
- For guidelines on specific foods, visit the FoodSafety.gov website.
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