Be prepared for winter power outages

By Amy L. Habig
Extension Educator, 
Family and Consumer Sciences
Ohio State University Extension
Adams/Brown/Highland Counties

The snow that hit parts of the country pretty hard in the last few weeks helps remind us to be prepared to keep our food safe if the winter weather leads to power outages.

Although the power at my house only flickered on and off momentarily, it prompted me to pull out my resources regarding food safety during severe storms so I would have them on-hand for a winter weather emergency. They are now stuck to the front of my fridge so they’ll be handy at any time.

During power outages, many people wonder whether or not their food is still safe to eat. There are some steps that can be taken before, during, and after power outages to minimize the potential loss of food and reduce the risk of food-borne illnesses.

The main goal is to keep foods at safe storage temperatures in order to minimize the growth of bacteria and other pathogens that can make people sick.

One line of defense is to keep an appliance thermometer in the refrigerator and in the freezer. Having thermometers in these appliances will help you determine the temperature inside the fridge and freezer to better determine the safety of the food.

In the same respect, before any outages occur, you want to make sure your fridge is at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, and that the freezer is at zero degrees Fahrenheit or below.

Before outages, you can purchase or make ice and keep it in the freezer. You can make the traditional ice cubes and place them in a bag, or you can freeze water in a container. If an outage occurs, you can then place the bags ice cubes or ice containers in the refrigerator or in a cooler to keep food from the refrigerator cold.

When the power goes out, it can be very tempting to open the refrigerator or freezer to “check on” the food. Try to resist the temptation because each time you open the fridge or freezer door, you are letting cold air out!

This then increases the temperature inside the fridge or freezer. If unopened, the fridge will maintain its temperature for about 4 hours and the freezer will maintain its temperature for about 48 hours if full (or 24 hours if half full).

After the power outage is over, be sure to check the temperatures inside your refrigerator and freezer. Once again, this is where appliance thermometers come in handy.

Get rid of any perishable foods which have been kept above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two or more hours. Foods kept above forty degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours have been in the “danger zone” too long and can potentially lead to foodborne illness if eaten.

And if you are ever uncertain of the safety of your food after a power outage, follow the old saying: “When in doubt, throw it out!” It’s much better to be safe that sick.

For more information, visit http://ohioline.osu.edu/home/freezer.html to download the Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet entitled “Attention Freezer Owners: In case of power outage DO NOT OPEN!” You can also visit the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service website (http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FACTSheets/index.asp). (Scroll down to the section on Emergency Preparedness and click on “A Consumer's Guide to Food Safety: Severe Storms and Hurricanes.”)

Dates to remember

• ServSafe Manager (Level 2) Food Safety Training: February 28 and March 7 from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (both days) at the Adams County Regional Medical Center. Cost is $130/person. Call 937-393-1918 for registration information. Registration deadline is Thursday, Feb. 14.