With Arizonian’s bracing for another monsoon season beginning in early July 2014, it is expected that the storm’s heavy rain, high winds and lighting will cause prolonged power outages.
If your power goes out, do you know what to do to ensure your food is safe? Knowing what to do with the food in your refrigerator and freezer in the event of a power outage can help ensure you stay healthy.
The last thing you want, or need for that matter, after dealing with a severe summer thunderstorm (aka monsoon season) is a nasty bout of food poisoning. Am I right?
Perishable foods such as eggs, milk, meat and cheese should never be stored above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. {Source: American Red Cross}
For a power outage lasting two hours or less there is no need to worry, however, if it’s any longer than that you will want to discard all perishable food unless the following precautions are taken.
Precautions to Ensure Food Safety
- According to FoodSafety.gov, the most important precaution you can take during an outage is to keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed for the entire duration of the outage.
- Take care to pack all of your perishable food into a cooler surrounded by ice for any outages lasting longer than two hours. You will again want to ensure your food remains above 40°F.
- If it looks as if the power outage may continue for longer than four hours, and you’ve already completed the two aforementioned precautions, then you may want to consider buying dry ice.
- Important precaution: “When in doubt, throw it out!” It’s the best insurance for ensuring you remain healthy!
