Power outage food safety

>For the Freezer section: A freezer that is half full will hold food safely for up to 24 hours.

A full freezer will hold food safely for 48 hours.

Do not open the freezer door if you can avoid it.

>For the Refrigerated section: Pack milk, other dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, gravy, and spoilable leftovers into a cooler surrounded by ice.

Inexpensive styrofoam coolers are fine for this purpose.

>Use a digital quick-response thermometer to check the temperature of your food right before you cook or eat it.

Throw away any food that has a temperature of more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

</LI></UL>Put in other words, the ABCDs of food safety in a power outage are as follows: <B>A</B>lways keep meat, poultry, fish, and eggs refrigerated at or below 40 ºF and frozen food at or below 0 ºF.

This may be difficult when the power is out.

Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.

The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened.

A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.

Obtain dry or block ice to keep your 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 full freezer for 2 days.

Plan ahead and know where dry ice and block ice can be purchased.

<B>B</B>e prepared for an emergency by having items on hand that don't require refrigeration and can be eaten cold or heated on the outdoor grill.

Shelf-stable food, boxed or canned milk, water, and canned goods should be part of a planned emergency food supply.

Make sure you have ready-to-use baby formula for infants and pet food.

Remember to use these items and replace them from time to time.

Be sure to keep a hand-held can opener for an emergency.

<B>C</B>onsider what you can do ahead of time to store your food safely in an emergency.

If you live in a location that could be affected by a flood, plan your food storage on shelves that will be safely out of the way of contaminated water.

Coolers are a great help for keeping food cold if the power will be out for more than 4 hours-have a couple on hand along with frozen gel packs.

When your freezer is not full, keep items close together-this helps the food stay cold longer.

<B>D</B>igital, dial, or instant-read food thermometers and appliance thermometers will help you know if the food is at safe temperatures.

Keep appliance thermometers in the refrigerator and freezer at all times.

When the power is out, an appliance thermometer will always indicate the temperature in the refrigerator and freezer no matter how long the power has been out.

The refrigerator temperature should be 40 ºF or below; the freezer, 0 ºF or lower.

If you're not sure a particular food is cold enough, take its temperature with a food thermometer.