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Food Safety and Inspection
Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700 |
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Food Safety and Inspection
Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700 |
WASHINGTON, March 10, 1998 -- The El Niņo weather phenomenon is playing havoc with parts of the United States. In addition to property damage, El Niņo is also raising questions about how to save food during catastrophes such as the recent California and East Coast floods or the devastating tornadoes that pummeled parts of Florida.
"The first thought, of course, is to save and protect lives, but then efforts can be concentrated on saving property, including food," said Bessie Berry, Manager of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s nationwide, toll-free Meat and Poultry Hotline.
The most likely problem to occur, whatever the disaster, is a power outage. That’s when you want to preserve the cold air inside the refrigerator and freezer. Berry advises that if it looks like the power failure may only be of short duration, the worst thing that can be done is to open the door and check whether the food is still cold. "The best way to lock the cold air in a refrigerator or freezer is NOT to open the door. A refrigerator should keep foods safely cold for about 6 hours depending on the room temperature, whereas a freezer will hold foods much longer – up to 2 days if it is a free-standing freezer that is fully loaded, or about a day for a partially full freezer," Berry said.
But what should be done if it looks like the power outage will last for more than a few days? Berry advises to buy some "dry ice" for the freezer from a local ice supplier. It would be wise to know where they are located before the emergency by checking the Yellow Pages. Berry cautions that "dry ice" is not recommended for the refrigerator. "Instead, try to buy some ‘block ice’ from the same local ice company. Also, check with the power company for possible sources of ice. Sometimes, the power company will provide ice from special pick-up locations."
Berry warns that special care must be taken when handling "dry ice." "Don’t touch dry ice with bare hands since it is extremely cold – minus 216° F. Be sure to wear heavy gloves that have no holes in them, and use tongs. Also, do not breathe the steam given off by the dry ice in an unventilated area."
If the power is going to be out for more than about 6 hours, refrigerated food may have to be discarded, unless it is transferred to the freezer. The transferring process, however, should not be done if it means losing precious cold air from the freezer and no dry ice is available. If the electricity continues to be out for more than 2 days, then freezer food may have to be thrown out as well.
If the power is restored before food is discarded, remember these rules: You can’t always rely on appearance or odor when trying to decide which foods to discard. "Ice crystals are a good indication that the food is still cold enough to be safe," advises Berry. "NEVER taste food that is suspect. When in doubt, throw it out. Some foods may look and smell fine but still be dangerous because foodborne bacteria may be present."
Here is some additional information for handling food after a tornado or flood:
For more information, call the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline, toll-free, at 1-800-535-4555 from 10 am to 4 pm, Eastern Time, year-round. Also, an extensive selection of timely food safety recordings are available 24 hours a day using the same telephone number. In addition, food safety information is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.usda.gov/fsis.
For Further Information, Contact:
FSIS Food Safety Education Staff
Meat and Poultry Hotline
Phone: 1-800-535-4555 or (202) 720-3333 (voice); 1-800-256-7072 (TTY)