{"id":5364,"date":"2016-03-08T06:00:26","date_gmt":"2016-03-08T11:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/candostreet.com\/blog-parents\/?p=5364"},"modified":"2016-03-05T14:57:43","modified_gmt":"2016-03-05T19:57:43","slug":"food-safety-and-power-outages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/candostreetny.com\/blog-parents\/food-safety-and-power-outages\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Safety and Power Outages"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"food\"<\/h1>\n

When severe storms or heat waves cause power outages the big food questions are\u2026what to save and when to throw out?<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h1>\n

No one wants to lose a freezer and a refrigerator full of food, but spoiled food can cause serious illness.<\/p>\n

According to the USDA Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency<\/a> you need to adhere to the following guidelines:<\/p>\n

Frozen Food<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h1>\n
    \n
  1. A full freezer will keep temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if half-full).<\/em><\/li>\n
  2. If the power is going to be out for a long time, buy dry or block ice.<\/em><\/li>\n
  3. Thawed or partially thawed food in the freezer may be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or is at 40 \u00b0F or below. Partial thawing and refreezing may affect the quality of some food, but the food will be safe to eat.<\/em><\/li>\n
  4. If you keep an appliance thermometer in your freezer, it\u2019s easy to tell whether food is safe. When the power comes back on, check the thermometer. If it reads 40 \u00b0F or below, the food is safe and can be refrozen.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0Refrigerated Food<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

    \u00a0 Keep the fridge closed. It will keep food cold for about 4 hours. Throw away any foods that have been above 40 degrees for longer than two hours.
    \n<\/em><\/p>\n

    Words of Caution:<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n