Food Safety

Safety Tips

During or following a power outage, follow these food safety tips:

• 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.