With the recent storms, you may have experienced a power outage. Without power to your refridgerator or freezer for extended periods of time, the safety of the food inside it is being compromised. Proper food safety practices are essential to avoid food borne illness, so here are some tips for you if you lose power in a storm:
- The fridge will keep food safe for up to 4 hours if the door remains closed. So try not to open and close the door as everytime you do that, you’ll lose some cooling inside.
- A full freezer will keep food cold for 48 hours, however a freezer half full will only keep cold for 24 hours as long as the door remains closed.
- For extended power outages, store refridgerated items in dry ice or in a cooler with adequate ice to keep the food below 40 degrees F. You want to keep frozen goods at 0 degrees F or below.
- Keep a thermometer handy to help you monitor the temperatures.
Hopefully we won’t have to worry about this, but it’s always good to be knowledgable of the safe practices!
-Kelsey
