Power Failure and Food Safety in Your Home

Power Failure and Food Safety in Your Home
In the event of electrical power failure affecting your home, one of the immediate
concerns you should be made aware of is food safety.

Each home will essentially have two categories of foods:

1) Non-Hazardous Foods:

Vegetables, fruits, breads, pastas, flour, canned foods, and hard cheeses.

These foods can be eaten as long as they were not contaminated with sewage, water or
drippings from meats, fish, etc.

2) Hazardous Foods: (Cooked or Uncooked)

Poultry, beef, pork, fish, cream, eggs, milk, soft cheeses, mayo

These foods are required to be kept at refrigerated temperatures (4 degrees Celcius or
lower or kept frozen at -18 degrees Celcius or lower).

Frozen hazardous foods: If thawed and kept at temperatures higher than 4 degrees
Celsius for longer than 4 hours must be thrown out.

a. Frozen foods which appear soft to the touch but still have ice or icicles in the
food product can be eaten immediately or refrozen.

b. Refrigerated hazardous foods left at room temperatures above 4 degrees
Celcius for longer than 4 hours must be discarded and not eaten regardless of
how you may intend to heat or process it.

For your safety and the safety of your family - WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT
OUT!

For more information on food safety, please contact the Health Unit office nearest you.

http://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/Hazard/PowerFailureFoodSafety.html