Emergencies

Power Outages

• Keep an appliance thermometer in both the refrigerator and freezer. Make sure the refrigerator temperature is at 40 °F or below and the freezer is at 0°F or below.
• Group foods together in both the refrigerator and freezer. This helps foods stay cold longer.
• Keep the freezer full. Fill empty spaces with frozen plastic jugs of water, bags of ice, or gel packs.
• Freeze refrigerated items that you may not need immediately, such as leftovers, milk, and fresh meat and poultry. This will keep them at a safe temperature longer.
• Have a large, insulated cooler and frozen gel packs available. Perishable foods will stay safe in a refrigerator only 4 hours.
• Find out where dry ice and block ice can be purchased.

Floods

• If possible, raise refrigerators and freezers off the floor by placing cement blocks underneath them.
• Move canned goods and other shelf-stable foods to a higher area.

Fire

• If you have an emergency kit, pack nonperishable snacks to sustain you for a couple of days. These items include canned meats, beef jerky, protein or fruit bars, dry cereal, dried fruit and peanut butter.

Power Outages

• Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed. A refrigerator will keep food safely cold for 4 hours after power loss if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold a safe temperature for 48 hours, and a half full freezer for 24 hours if it is unopened

Power Outages

• If the power is off longer, you can transfer food to a cooler and fill with ice or frozen gel packs. Make sure there is enough ice to keep food in the cooler at 40 degrees F or below. Add more ice to the cooler as it begins to melt. Discard any perishable food after the safe timeframes if you are unable to transfer to a cooler.
• Never taste food to determine its safety. When In Doubt, Throw It Out!

Floods

• Use bottled drinking water that has not come in contact with flood water.
• Do not eat any food or drink bottled water that came in contact with flood water.
• Discard any food that is not in a waterproof container. Food containers that are not waterproof include those with screw-caps, snap lids, pull tops, and crimped caps.
• Discard any cardboard juice/milk/baby formula boxes and home-canned foods that came in contact with flood water because they cannot be effectively cleaned and sanitized. Undamaged, commercially prepared food in all-metal cans and retort pouches can be saved if you remove the labels, thoroughly wash packaging with soap and water and sanitize them.
• inspect canned foods; discard any food in damaged cans. Can damage is shown by swelling, leakage, punctures, holes, fractures, extensive deep rusting, or crushing/denting severe enough to prevent normal stacking or opening with a manual, wheel-type can opener.
• Discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples, and pacifiers that may have come in contact with flood waters. There is no way to safely clean them.
• Thoroughly wash metal pans, ceramic dishes, utensils (including can openers) with soap and water (hot water if available). Rinse and sanitize them by boiling in clean water or immersing them for 15 minutes in a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water.
• Thoroughly wash countertops with soap and water (hot water if available). Rinse and then sanitize them by applying a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water. Allow to air-dry.
• Note: If your refrigerator or freezer was submerged by floodwaters — even partially — it is unsafe to use and must be discarded.
• Salvaging All-Metal Cans and Retort Pouches

Undamaged, commercially prepared food in all-metal cans and retort pouches (for example, flexible, shelf-stable juice or seafood pouches) can be saved if you do the following:

1. 1. Remove the labels if possible. They can harbor dirt and bacteria.
   2. Thoroughly wash the cans or retort pouches with soap and water (use hot water if available).
   3. Brush or wipe away any dirt or silt.
   4. Rinse the cans or retort pouches with water that is safe for drinking (if available). Dirt or residual soap will reduce the effectiveness of chlorine sanitation.
   5. Then sanitize them by immersion in one of the following ways:
      • Place in water. Allow the water to come to a boil for 2 minutes.
        Or
      • Place in a freshly made solution consisting of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water (or the cleanest, clearest water available) for 15 minutes.
   6. Allow to air-dry for a minimum of 1 hour before opening or storing.
   7. Relabel the cans or retort pouches with a marker. Include the expiration date if available.
   8. Use the food in these reconditioned cans and retort pouches as soon as possible.
   9. Any concentrated baby formula in reconditioned, all-metal containers must be diluted with clean, drinking water.

Fire

• Discard all food that has been near a fire. Food exposed to fire can be damaged by the heat of the fire, smoke fumes, and fire-fighting chemicals. These fumes and chemicals cannot be washed off. These include:
  • Foods stored outside of the refrigerator, such as bread, fruits, and vegetables.
  • Raw food or food in permeable packaging (cardboard, plastic wrap, etc.).
  • All foods in cans, bottles, and jars. While they may appear to be okay, the heat from a fire can damage the containers and can activate food spoilage bacteria.
  • Foods stored in refrigerators or freezers. Refrigerator seals are not airtight and fumes can get inside.
• Sanitize cookware exposed to fire-fighting chemicals by washing in soap and hot water. Then submerge for 15 minutes in a solution for 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water.

• Always keep a thermometer in your refrigerator. The temperature should read 41 F or below.
• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.
  • The refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened.
  • A full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.
  • Buy dry or block ice to keep the refrigerator as cold as possible if the power is going to be out for a prolonged period of time. Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic foot fully-stocked freezer cold for two days.
• If you plan to eat refrigerated or frozen meat, poultry, fish or eggs while it is still at safe temperatures, it’s important that each item is thoroughly cooked to the proper temperature to assure that any foodborne bacteria that may be present is destroyed. However, if at any point the food was above 40 °F for 2 hours or more — discard it.
• Wash fruits and vegetables with water from a safe source before eating.
• For infants, try to use prepared, canned baby formula that requires no added water. When using concentrated or powdered formulas, prepare with bottled water if the local water source is potentially contaminated.

Once Power is Restored :

• Thawed food can usually be eaten if it is still “refrigerator cold.” Check the temperature when the power comes back and if the freezer thermometer reads 40°F or below, the food is safe and may be refrozen.
• Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs or leftovers) that has been above 40°F for two hours or more.
• Perishable food such as meat, poultry, seafood, milk, and eggs that are not kept adequately refrigerated or frozen may cause illness if consumed, even when they are thoroughly cooked.

Practice Safe Food Handling:

• A full cooler or freezer will maintain its cold temperatures longer than one that is partially filled, so it is important to pack plenty of extra ice or freezer packs to insure a constant cold temperature. If available, 25 pounds of dry ice will keep a 10-cubic-foot freezer below freezing for three to four days. Use care when handling dry ice and wear dry, heavy gloves to avoid injury.

• Thawed food can usually be eaten if it is still “refrigerator cold.”

• Eggs and other foods need to be stored in 41 F or slightly below. Do not eat foods that may have spoiled.

• Always wash your hands with soap and water that has been boiled and cooled or disinfected. Wash your hands:
  • After using the bathroom or changing a diaper
  • After handling handle uncooked food
  • After playing with a pet
  • After handling garbage
  • After tending to someone who is sick or injured
  • After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
  • After participating in flood cleanup activities
  • After handling articles contaminated with flood water or sewage
  • Before preparing or eating food
  • Before treating a cut or wound
  • Before inserting or removing contact lenses
• Fight cross-contamination, which is the transfer of harmful bacteria to food from other foods, cutting boards or utensils. Never place any type of food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry or seafood.

• Use a meat thermometer to ensure that food reaches a safe internal temperature.

• Hamburgers and ground meat should be cooked to 160 F.

• Poultry should be cooked to 170 F.

• Roasts, steaks and other large cuts of beef should be cooked to 145 F (rare) and 160 F (medium).

• Fish should be cooked until the meat is opaque and flakes easily.

• Use sanitized food and water bowls for your pets and be sure that they do not drink from flood-contaminated surfaces.

For additional food safety information, call the toll-free USDA/FSIS Meat and Poultry Hotline at (888) 674-6854. Food safety specialists (both English and Spanish speaking) are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT on weekdays year-round.