Keeping Food Safe in a State of Emergency

Now that we are post hurricane Sandy, you may be wondering how to keep food safe following this unprecedented storm, as well as how to prepare should we have the misfortune of another frankenstorm.

Preparing for the storm:

Purchase appliance thermometers for your refrigerator and freezer.  Test the temperatures with your current settings by placing the refrigerator thermometer in a glass of water in the refrigerator, and the freezer thermometer between frozen items in the freezer.  Check back in about 5 hours.  The refrigerator should be no more than 40 degrees, and the freezer no more than 0 degrees.  If your temperatures are off, adjust your appliance settings accordingly.

Freeze plastic sandwich bags of water so you can transfer them to the refrigerator to keep the temperature down in the event of a power outage.  Since cold air falls, place the frozen bags in a bowl on the top shelves of the refrigerator.  Dry ice is another option.

Purchase canned goods that are easy to prepare since any cooking you do will likely be done with limited lighting.  Canned tuna, salmon, sardines, soups, and beans and jarred pasta sauces are good options.  If you are able to light a gas stove to boil water, have pasta, rice, and other grains on hand.  You can boil water and cook/heat foods in disposable pans directly on your grill.

If you are using a cooler, keep it off the floor if you think you might be exposed to flood water, which can contaminate your food.  In fact, store all dry and canned goods off the floor.

Keep on hand paper plates,  plastic ware, disposable pans, bottled water, and a manual can opener.

When the power goes out:

Refrigerated protein items like eggs, meat, and poultry need to be maintained at no more than 40 degrees.   The freezer should remain at 0 degrees, but if your freezer appliance thermometer achieves no more than 40 degrees, it is safe to refreeze any items that have begun to thaw.  The more you have in the freezer, the longer it will maintain proper temperature.  If you do not have much in the freezer, pooling the items together will keep them frozen longer.  The less you open your refrigerator or freezer, the longer your food will keep.

What if my food was exposed to fire?

Any food stored near a fire needs to be discarded.  The heat can cause bacteria to grow, and toxic fumes from burning materials, as well as chemicals used to put the fire out may permeate your food.  This includes food stored in the refrigerator and freezer.

What if my food was exposed to flood water?

Any boxed items that get wet should be discarded.  For canned items to be salvaged, first inspect for damage, peel the labels off, and thoroughly wash with soap and water.  Then, sanitize each can by using either heat, or a bleach solution.  To sanitize with heat, immerse cans in water, then boil for 2 minutes.  To sanitize with bleach, use 1 Tbsp unscented bleach to each gallon of clean water and immerse for 15 minutes.  Air dry, then re-label cans with a permanent magic marker, including item name, plus expiration date.

For information regarding specific foods, when save, and when to throw them out, see the chart below:

 

When to Save and When to Throw It Out
FOOD	Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours
MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD Raw or leftover cooked meat, poultry, fish, or seafood; soy meat   substitutes	Discard
Thawing meat or poultry	Discard
Meat, tuna, shrimp,chicken, or egg salad	Discard
Gravy, stuffing, broth	Discard
Lunchmeats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, dried beef	Discard
Pizza – with any topping	Discard
Canned hams labeled “Keep Refrigerated”	Discard
Canned meats and fish, opened	Discard
CHEESE Soft Cheeses: blue/bleu, Roquefort, Brie, Camembert, cottage,   cream, Edam, Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel, queso   blanco, queso fresco	Discard
Hard Cheeses: Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, provolone, Romano	Safe
Processed Cheeses	Safe
Shredded Cheeses	Discard
Low-fat Cheeses	Discard
Grated Parmesan, Romano, or combination (in can or jar)	Safe
DAIRY Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt,   eggnog, soy milk	Discard
Butter, margarine	Safe
Baby formula, opened	Discard
EGGS Fresh eggs, hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products	Discard
Custards and puddings	Discard
CASSEROLES, SOUPS, STEWS	Discard
FRUITS Fresh fruits, cut	Discard
Fruit juices, opened	Safe
Canned fruits, opened	Safe
Fresh fruits, coconut, raisins, dried fruits, candied fruits,   dates	Safe
SAUCES, SPREADS, JAMS Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish	Discard if above 50 °F for over 8 hrs.
Peanut butter	Safe
Jelly, relish, taco sauce, mustard, catsup, olives, pickles	Safe
Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, Hoisin sauces	Safe
Fish sauces (oyster sauce)	Discard
Opened vinegar-based dressings	Safe
Opened creamy-based dressings	Discard
Spaghetti sauce, opened jar	Discard
BREAD, CAKES, COOKIES,PASTA, GRAINS Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas	Safe
Refrigerator biscuits,rolls, cookie dough	Discard
Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes	Discard
Pasta salads with mayonnaise or vinaigrette	Discard
Fresh pasta	Discard
Cheesecake	Discard
Breakfast foods –waffles, pancakes, bagels	Safe
PIES, PASTRY Pastries, cream filled	Discard
Pies – custard,cheese filled, or chiffon; quiche	Discard
Pies, fruit	Safe
VEGETABLES Fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices	Safe
Greens, pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged	Discard
Vegetables, raw	Safe
Vegetables, cooked; tofu	Discard
Vegetable juice, opened	Discard
Baked potatoes	Discard
Commercial garlic in oil	Discard
Potato Salad	Discard

 

Frozen Food

 

When to Save and When To Throw It Out
FOOD	Still contains ice crystals and feels as cold   as if refrigerated	Thawed. Held above 40 °F for over   2 hours
MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD Beef, veal, lamb, pork, and ground meats	Refreeze	Discard
Poultry and ground poultry	Refreeze	Discard
Variety meats (liver, kidney, heart, chitterlings)	Refreeze	Discard
Casseroles, stews, soups	Refreeze	Discard
Fish, shellfish, breaded seafood products	Refreeze. However, there   will be some texture and flavor loss.	Discard
DAIRY Milk	Refreeze. May lose some texture.	Discard
Eggs (out of shell) and egg products	Refreeze	Discard
Ice cream, frozen yogurt	Discard	Discard
Cheese (soft and semi-soft)	Refreeze. May lose some   texture.	Discard
Hard cheeses	Refreeze	Refreeze
Shredded cheeses	Refreeze	Discard
Casseroles containing milk, cream, eggs, soft cheeses	Refreeze	Discard
Cheesecake	Refreeze	Discard
FRUITS Juices	Refreeze	Refreeze. Discard if mold, yeasty smell, or sliminess develops.
Home or commercially packaged	Refreeze. Will change   texture and flavor.	Refreeze. Discard if   mold, yeasty smell, or sliminess develops.
VEGETABLES Juices	Refreeze	Discard after held above 40 °F for 6 hours.
Home or commercially packaged or blanched	Refreeze. May suffer   texture and flavor loss.	Discard after held above   40 °F for 6 hours.
BREADS, PASTRIES Breads, rolls, muffins, cakes (without custard fillings)	Refreeze	Refreeze
Cakes, pies, pastries with custard or cheese filling	Refreeze	Discard
Pie crusts, commercial and homemade bread dough	Refreeze. Some quality   loss may occur.	Refreeze. Quality loss is   considerable.
OTHER Casseroles – pasta, rice based	Refreeze	Discard
Flour, cornmeal, nuts	Refreeze	Refreeze
Breakfast items –waffles, pancakes, bagels	Refreeze	Refreeze
Frozen meal, entree, specialty items (pizza, sausage and   biscuit, meat pie,convenience foods)	Refreeze	Discard

 

 

Source:  USDA Emergency Preparedness