Food Safety After a Power Outage

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (Sept. 29, 2024) - In the case of an electrical outage, it is important to take careful precautions to ensure food safety. Discard any perishable food that has been at room temperature for two hours or more and any food that has an unusual odor, color, or texture. Not all spoiled food will have an unusual odor, color, or texture, so just remember, when in doubt, throw it out!

Basic tips for keeping food safe:

• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed. The refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened.
• A full freezer will keep 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.
• If you plan to eat refrigerated or frozen meat, poultry, fish, or eggs while they are still at safe temperatures, each item must be thoroughly cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature to ensure any foodborne bacteria present are destroyed. However, if at any point the food was above 40º F for 2 hours or more (or 1 hour if temperatures are above 90 º F) - discard it.

Once power is restored, determine the safety of your food:

• Check the freezer temperature when the power comes back on. If the freezer thermometer reads 40° F or below, the food is safe and may be refrozen.
• If there is no thermometer in the freezer, check each package of food - if the food still contains ice crystals or is 40° F or below, it is safe to refreeze or cook.
• If the power was out for no more than 4 hours, refrigerated food should be safe if the doors were kept closed. When the power comes back on, discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, seafood, milk, eggs, or leftovers) that has been above 40°F for 4 hours or more. Perishable foods that are at 45°F or below (measured with a food thermometer) should be safe but should be cooked and consumed as soon as possible.
• 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.

For recovery information, call the Charlotte County Emergency Operations Center at 941-833-4000 or go online to www.CharlotteCountyFL.gov/storm.

Follow Charlotte County Emergency Management for important emergency information at www.charlottecountyfl.gov/em, www.facebook.com/oemcharlottecounty, and www.x.com/ccoem.

For media information, contact Communications Director Brian Gleason at 941-661-6415 or [email protected].

###

Back to News