Food safety tips after power outage

FOOD SAFETY

To those who lost electrical power:

Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed. An unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold enough for a couple of hours at least.

If it looks like the power outage will be out for more than 2-4 hours, put refrigerated milk, dairy products, meats, fish, poultry, eggs, gravy, stuffing and leftovers into a cooler surrounded by ice.

If the refrigerator was out for more than 2-4 hours, it is recommended that you discard the perishables.

A freezer that is half full will hold for up to 24 hours and a full freezer for 48 hours. If it looks like the power outage will be prolonged, prepare a cooler with ice for your freezer items.

If your freezer is fairly full and you know it has been under 24 hours, the food should be OK. There will be loss of quality with refreezing, but the food will be safe.

Do not eat any food that may have come into contact with flood water. If in doubt, discard it.

Do not eat food packed in plastic, paper, cardboard, cloth and similar containers that have been water-damaged.

Discard food and beverage containers with screw-caps, snap lids, crimped caps (soda bottles), twist caps, flip tops and home-canned foods, if they have come in contact with flood water. These containers cannot be disinfected.

Never use portable generators indoors, in garages or near open windows.