Food Safety Tips: Keeping Your Perishable Foods Safe Is Critical Whenever You Lose Power

Being prepared when the power goes out is key to keeping your food and your family safe

Power failures are no longer rare interruptions that last a few minutes. In the past three years the United States has averaged more than 160 major weather-related outages annually, and many lasted a full day or longer. Hurricanes on the Atlantic coast, derechos in the Midwest and ice storms in the Carolinas all share one consequence: refrigerators stop humming, freezers start warming and bacteria wake up. Because foodborne pathogens multiply fastest between 40 °F and 140 °F, any time the electricity goes out you must act fast to preserve cold temperatures or discard items that have warmed. The following updated guidelines combine the latest recommendations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and state extension services so you can protect your family’s health and wallet when the lights go dark.

Keeping Your Food Safe

1. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.

Every peek lets cold air spill out and warm, humid air rush in. A refrigerator that stays closed holds a safe temperature, defined as 40 °F or below, for about four hours. A full upright or chest freezer keeps foods at or below 0 °F for roughly 48 hours but only 24 hours if half full. Post a list of needed items on the outside door so you can retrieve them all in one quick grab instead of multiple openings. If you have children, secure refrigerators with a strap or latch so curious hands do not compromise your timeline.

2. Add cold mass early by using block ice, dry ice or frozen water jugs.

Cold mass is your friend. Two days before a predicted storm, set gallon containers of tap water in the freezer; when solid they act like commercial ice packs. If an outage looks imminent, buy block ice which melts slower than cube ice. Fifty pounds of dry ice keeps an 18-cubic-foot full freezer near 0 °F for about two days. Place the dry ice on top of packages, wear heavy gloves and leave room for carbon dioxide to vent.

3. Use appliance thermometers and digital data loggers.

You cannot judge safety by feel. An appliance thermometer clipped to the refrigerator’s middle shelf shows real-time temperature even when the door is closed. Many 2024-model smart fridges log data to companion apps that alert your phone when temperatures rise above 40 °F. A ten-dollar battery powered data logger placed inside a cooler does the same job for older units. Write down starting temperatures before a storm so you can spot upward drift quickly.

4. Know the four-hour rule for perishables.

If refrigerator temperature rises above 40 °F for more than four cumulative hours, discard all high-risk items. These include raw or cooked meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, cut melon, cooked grains, opened baby formula and leftovers. Hard cheeses, unopened fruit juices, whole fresh produce and condiments high in salt, sugar or vinegar can survive a short warm spell, but inspect them for off odors or textures. Remember that smell is not a reliable indicator of pathogens like Salmonella or Listeria.

5. Evaluate freezer contents with the ice-crystal test.

When power returns, check whether packages still contain hard ice crystals or if the food thermometer reads 40 °F or lower. Items that remain partially frozen are safe to refreeze, though quality may drop. If you see pools of liquid, discard raw meat, poultry, fish, ice cream and soft frozen desserts. Breads, unbaked dough, hard cheeses and most vegetables can be refrozen or cooked immediately.

6. Throw away questionable food promptly.

The maxim is still true: when in doubt, throw it out. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the average cost of a single emergency room visit for food poisoning now exceeds two thousand dollars. That makes replacing a gallon of milk cheap insurance. Bag spoiled food separately, tie it shut and place it in a covered outdoor bin to avoid attracting pests.

7. Create a power-outage meal kit.

Stock low-acid canned goods, shelf-stable milk, peanut butter, whole-grain crackers, pouches of ready-to-eat tuna and dehydrated fruit that require no refrigeration. Rotate the stock every six months. Keep a manual can opener in the same bin. If someone in your household has dietary restrictions or needs refrigerated medication, store a note on top of the kit detailing alternative safe foods or backup cooling methods.

8. Use generators and outdoor cookers safely.

A portable generator or propane camp stove can cook thawing food or boil water, but carbon monoxide kills hundreds of people each year. Operate generators outdoors at least 20 feet from any opening and angle the exhaust away from living spaces. Never use charcoal grills inside a garage. Keep extra fuel in sealed, labeled containers and cool engines fully before refueling to prevent ignition.

9. Sanitize if floodwater enters.

After hurricanes and river flooding, discard all refrigerated and frozen food if the appliance was submerged or splashed by contaminated water. Clean intact metal cans by removing paper labels, washing with hot soapy water and sanitizing in a solution of one tablespoon unscented household bleach per gallon of clean water. Re-label cans with a permanent marker. Throw away screw-cap jars, bottles with damaged seams and any swollen container.

10. Stay informed with trusted resources.

Download the USDA’s FoodKeeper app for real-time guidance, temperature logging and customized discard lists. Subscribe to local alerts from your electric cooperative so you know when service is expected to return. North Carolina residents can dial 1-800-4NC-SAFE to reach the NC Cooperative Extension for county-specific food safety advice during extended outages. National updates on recalls and weather emergencies appear at FoodSafety.gov.

By combining advance preparation, accurate temperature monitoring and prompt disposal of unsafe items, you can weather today’s longer power failures without stomach cramps, lost wages or medical bills. Pack your outage meal kit this week, place thermometers in both fridge and freezer and review these steps with every member of the household. Prepared families keep foodborne illness off the list of post-storm worries.