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Consumer Alert: Tips to Keep Food Safe in a Weather Emergency |
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USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
1-888-674-6854
Congressional and Public Affairs
Catherine Cochran (202) 690-0428
WASHINGTON, April 12, 2013— The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing
recommendations for residents in Alabama and Mississippi affected by last night's devastating tornado and
thunderstorms to minimize the potential for foodborne illness due to power outages.
The publication "A Consumer's Guide to Food Safety: Severe
Storms and Hurricanes" | PDF can be downloaded and printed for reference during a power outage. FSIS' YouTube video
"Food Safety During Power Outages" also has
instructions for keeping frozen and refrigerated food safe.
FSIS provides food safety information from its Twitter feed @USDAFoodSafety.
To get tweets about food recalls and weather-related food safety issues affecting just Alabama and Mississippi, follow
@AL_FSISAlert and @MS_FSISAlert, respectively.
Steps to follow to prepare for a possible weather emergency:
- Keep an appliance thermometer in the refrigerator and freezer to help determine if food is safe during power outages. The refrigerator temperature should be 40° F or lower and the freezer should be 0° F or lower.
- Store food on shelves that will be safely out of the way of contaminated water in case of flooding.
- Group food together in the freezer — this helps the food stay cold longer.
- Freeze refrigerated items such as leftovers, milk and fresh meat and poultry that you may not need immediately — this helps keep them at a safe temperature longer.
- Have coolers on hand to keep refrigerator food cold if the power will be out for more than 4 hours.
- Purchase or make ice and store in the freezer for use in the refrigerator or in a cooler. Freeze gel packs ahead of time for use in coolers.
- Plan ahead and know where dry ice and block ice can be purchased.
Steps to follow if the power goes out:
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
- A refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4 hours if you keep the door closed.
- A full freezer will keep its temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if half-full).
- If the power is out for an extended period of time, buy dry or block ice to keep the refrigerator as cold as possible. Fifty pounds of dry ice should keep a fully-stocked 18-cubic-feet freezer cold for two days.
Steps to follow after a weather emergency:
- Check the temperature in the refrigerator and freezer. If the thermometer reads 40° F or below, the food is safe.
- If no thermometer was used in the freezer, check each package. If food still contains ice crystals or is at 40° F or below when checked with a food thermometer, it may be safely refrozen.
- Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, soft cheeses, milk, eggs, leftovers and deli items) that have been kept in a refrigerator or freezer above 40° F for two hours or more.
- Discard any food that is not in a waterproof container if there is any chance that it has come into contact with flood water. Containers that are not waterproof include those with screw-caps, snap lids, pull tops, and crimped caps. Discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples and pacifiers.
- Thoroughly wash all metal pans, ceramic dishes and utensils that came in contact with flood water with hot soapy water and sanitize by boiling them in clean water or by immersing them for 15 minutes in a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water.
- Undamaged, commercially prepared foods in all-metal cans and retort pouches (for example, flexible, shelf-stable juice or seafood pouches) can be saved. Follow the Steps to Salvage All-Metal Cans and Retort Pouches in the publication "Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency."
- Use bottled water that has not been exposed to flood waters. If bottled water is not available, tap water can be boiled for safety.
- Never taste food to determine its safety!
- When in Doubt, throw it out!
An FSIS Public Service Announcement (PSA) illustrating practical food safety recommendations for handling and
consuming foods stored in refrigerators and freezers during and after a power outage is available in 30- and 60-second
versions at www.fsis.usda.gov/news/Food_Safety_PSA. News organizations and
power companies can obtain hard copy (Beta and DVD) versions of the PSA by contacting FSIS' Food Safety Education
Staff at (301) 344-4757.
Videos about food safety during power outages are available in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language on FSIS'
YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/USDAFoodSafety.
Podcasts regarding food safety during severe weather, power outages, and flooding are available English and Spanish on
FSIS' website at www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
Food_Safety_at_Home_Podcasts.
Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at
www.AskKaren.gov or m.AskKaren.gov on your
smartphone. Mobile Ask Karen can also be downloaded from the Apple and Android app stores. Consumers can email, chat
with a live representative, or call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline directly from the app. To use these features
from Mobile Ask Karen, simply choose "Contact Us" from the menu. The live chat option and the toll-free USDA Meat and
Poultry Hotline, 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), are available in English and Spanish on weekdays from 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. ET.
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For additional information on Emergency Preparedness, visit: www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/
Emergency_Preparedness_Fact_Sheets/index.asp
NOTE: Access news releases and other information on FSIS' website at www.fsis.usda.gov.
Follow FSIS on Twitter @usdafoodsafety. |
Last Modified: April 12, 2013 |
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