Food Safety During and After a Power Outage

According to the USDA, your refrigerator can keep food cold for up to four hours during a power outage. However, it’s important that you keep the door closed as much as possible. If you need to get food from the fridge, do so as briskly as possible.

Certain foods, like butter, are OK to keep if exposed to temperatures 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for more than two hours. Other foods that are safe to eat include:

• Baked goods like bread, bagels, muffins or tortillas
• Canned or dried fruits and vegetables
• Condiments like ketchup, mustard or jelly
• Hard cheeses like Parmesan or Swiss, either as blocks, slices or grated

“Better safe than sorry,” as the saying goes. Foods that you should throw out include:

• Alternative milk like oat, almond or soy milk
• Any milk-based product, like yogurt, sour cream and heavy cream
• Doughs, including pizza, cookie and biscuit dough
• Eggs, even if cooked in other foods like custards
• Tofu or any plant-based meat substitutes

If you’re unsure whether a food product is safe to keep after a power outage, it’s best to throw it away rather than risk your health.

Without power, your freezer keeps food cold for up to 48 hours if it’s full and 24 hours if it's half full. It’s important to note that frozen food can be safely refrozen if it’s at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. If your freezer doesn’t have a thermometer in it, look closely at individual packages of food.

If there are still ice crystals on the food, it should be safe. However, the quality of the food will likely decline. Don’t taste food to determine its safety. If you’re unsure, it’s best to throw it away.

Most refrigerators have built-in surge protectors designed to prevent damage during power outages, so it’s best to keep your refrigerator plugged in. However, unplugging smaller appliances like televisions and computers is a good idea.

Once the roads are safe for driving, buy dry or block ice to place in your freezer. Twenty-five pounds of dry ice should keep your stocked freezer (regular-size freezer built into the adjacent refrigerator) cold for two days. Double that amount of dry ice for a large, standalone freezer.

Place dry ice on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator to avoid contact with food. If you have a cardboard box or an insulated tray, you can place the dry ice in that to protect the shelf. Never touch dry ice with bare hands, and always be sure to wear insulated gloves when handling it.

If the power outage is expected to be short, medications can stay in your fridge for a few hours and remain safe. However, if the outage is suspected to be longer, place your medications in a cooler with ice packs. Putting them in water-tight bags or containers is important to ensure their effectiveness isn’t compromised.

Certain medications have specific temperature requirements. Be sure to check your medication label to ensure your medication is stored at the proper temperature. If you place them in a cooler with ice, consider putting a thermometer inside to help monitor their temperature.

If the power outage lasts longer than expected and your medications are exposed to warmer temperatures, discard them and visit your primary care provider to have them replaced. If you’re unsure about their safety — remember, “when in doubt, throw it out.”

Sometimes, your refrigerator may not have restored power after an outage. If this happens, check your circuit breaker, surge protector and power cord. Sometimes, appliances have a slight delay in returning power.

If it’s been several hours and your refrigerator still has no power, you can contact your customer service department associated with your appliance or visit the store where you purchased it for further assistance.