Summer is here and we, in Illinois, live in "tornado alley."
Summer storms and that ominous black funnel cloud can cause power outages
that may last for days. Food can be jeopardized during prolonged blackouts.
Here’s some helpful information you can use during the next power
outage.
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Keep the freezer closed! Resist the urge to open the door to squeeze
the food. This keeps the cold air inside the freezer. Do not open
the door any more than necessary. Note the time when the power went
out. Is your freezer full, half-full, or almost empty?
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A full freezer will stay at freezing temperatures for 2 days and
a half-full freezer for about one day. If your freezer is not full,
open and quickly group packages together forming an "igloo"
to increase the protection of each package.
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If you believe the power will be out for several days, try to locate
dry ice. Follow the handling instructions carefully. Do not touch
the dry ice with bare hands or inhale the fumes. Twenty-five pounds
of dry ice will hold a 10 cubic foot full freezer for 3 to 4 days.
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If your freezer is almost empty and the power has been out for
several hours, you may need to transfer the refrigerator foods to
the freezer section. Work quickly and group chilled food around
frozen packages.
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Although dry ice can be used in the refrigerator too, block ice
works better. Use a tray or deep pan to hold the block of ice. Put
everything that is salvageable in the freezer section with frozen
foods. Add ice if necessary.
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If food has started to thaw when the power comes back on, what
can be safely kept? You will need to evaluate each item separately.
See the attached tear-and-save chart for refrigerator and freezer
foods. Keep the chart on hand for future reference.
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Generally, be very careful with meats, fish and poultry products
or any food containing milk, eggs, cream, sour cream or soft cheese.
These items are highly perishable. When in doubt, throw it out.
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Raw meats and poultry from the freezer can usually be refrozen
without too much quality loss if there are ice crystals remaining
or the meat is still very cold. Assess each package.
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Prepared foods, vegetables and fruits can normally be refrozen,
but there may be some quality loss. Fruits and fruit juices can
be safely refrozen with minimal quality loss. Condiments such as
mustard, catsup, pickles, butter, margarine and relish can be safely
re-chilled or kept at room temperature for several days.
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Generally, refrigerated items should be safe as long as the power
is not out for no more than a few hours and the door is kept closed.
After that you may have to discard them unless block ice was added
or food items were transferred to the freezer.
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Always discard any fully cooked foods that have come in contact
with raw meat juices. Remember you cannot rely on appearance or
odor to determine safety. Never taste food suspected of spoilage.
Some foods may smell or look fine, but food held for hours at room
temperature may cause food poisoning. Again, when in doubt, throw
it out.
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For more information call the Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555
