Food Storage Scholar: Food Safety and Preparation During a Power Failure

A 2003 manual from the United States Department of Agriculture gives some great guidelines for keeping your food from going bad in case of a power outage. The manual, entitled Food Safety and Food Security: What Consumers Need to Know, is a fantastic resource for information on food handling, the USDA’s inspection procedures, canned foods, and other topics. Today’s blog post will give you some food safety tips that will save you money and keep you safe in case of an emergency.

A power failure can be inconvenient and uncomfortable, especially when the weather is extreme. It’s best to keep a supply of nonperishable food at home, cutting down your dependence on food that has to stay chilled or frozen. Of course, since most power failures only last a few hours, the food in your freezer and refrigerator can be kept safe if you follow a few simple rules. Some are common sense, and some require a little more thought.

1. Make the most of the cold air you already have. Keeping the freezer door closed will go a long way. A full freezer can keep food at a safe temperature for 2 days if the cold air is preserved inside. If your freezer isn’t usually full, you can group packages together into a sort of “igloo” shape when you bring them home from the grocery store, allowing the cold foods to support each other most efficiently. In general, refrigerated items should be safe for up to 4 hours if the cold air is kept inside.

2. Plan ahead for longer power outages. If you have reason to suspect that the power will be out for several days, try to get some dry ice. Keep it wrapped in your freezer and don’t touch it with your bare hands. For the refrigerator, cubed or blocked ice will do fine.

3. Know what to do with partially thawed or warming food. If the food in your freezer has started to thaw, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll need to throw it out or prepare it right away. According to the USDA, food can be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or if it registers at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Be sure to evaluate each item separately. Discard any perishable foods that have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours or more, along with food that has a strange order, color, texture, or that feels warm to the touch.

4. Use appliance thermometers in your freezer and refrigerator. The key to determining the safety of your food is an accurate measure of temperature. Rather than having to guess at how warm or cold your unit is, you can have the exact temperature by using an appliance thermometer, giving you that added certainty you need in situations like this. The refrigerator temperature should be 40 degrees Fahrenheit at most. For the freezer, the top temperature is zero degrees Fahrenheit.

More detailed information for handling food in emergency situations can be found in a USDA fact sheet entitled Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency.