October 5, 2007, Newsletter Issue #72: Keeping Frozen Food Safe During Emergencies

Tip of the Week

So your gourmet frozen food has arrived safe and sound. However, a natural disaster has unfortunately decided to make an appearance before your dinner party this weekend.
A flood, fire, or loss of power from high winds can jeopardize the safety of your food.
Knowing how to determine if food is safe and how to keep food safe will help minimize the potential loss of food and reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Here are some guidelines from the USDA:

1. Always keep meat, poultry, fish, and eggs refrigerated at or below 40 F and frozen food at or below 0 F. This may be difficult when the power is out.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Digital, 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 F or below; the freezer, 0 F or lower. If you're not sure a particular food is cold enough, take its temperature with a food thermometer.

About LifeTips

Now one of the top on-line publishers in the world, LifeTips offers tips to millions of monthly visitors. Our mission mission is to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Expert writers earn dough for what they know. And exclusive sponsors in each niche topic help us make-it-all happen.