Health officials give guidance on food safety during and after a power outage

MASON CITY — Recent storms have caused a great deal of damage throughout North Iowa. One of the more serious concerns is power outages.

When a power outage occurs, your refrigerated and frozen foods are impacted. In order to know what is still good to keep and what should be tossed, review the guidance below.

When the Power Goes Out . . .

Here are basic tips for keeping food safe:

1. Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.
   1. The refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened.
   2. A full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.
2. Buy dry or block ice to keep the refrigerator as cold as possible if the power is going to be out for a prolonged period of time. Fifty pounds of dry ice should keep an 18 cubic foot, fully stocked freezer cold for two days.
3. If you plan to eat refrigerated or frozen meat, poultry, fish, or eggs while they are still at safe temperatures, it is important that each item is thoroughly cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature to ensure that any foodborne bacteria that may be present are destroyed. However, if at any point the food was above 40º F for 2 hours or more (or 1 hour if temperatures are above 90 º F) — discard it.

Once Power is Restored . . .

Determine the safety of your food:

1. If an appliance thermometer was kept in the freezer, check the temperature when the power comes back on. If the freezer thermometer reads 40° F or below, the food is safe and may be refrozen.
2. If a thermometer has not been kept in the freezer, check each package of food to determine its safety. You can’t rely on appearance or odor. If the food still contains ice crystals or is 40° F or below, it is safe to refreeze or cook.
3. Refrigerated food should be safe as long as the power was out for no more than 4 hours and the refrigerator door was kept shut. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or leftovers) that has been at temperatures above 40° F for 2 hours or more (or 1 hour if temperatures are above 90º F).

Perishable food such as meat, poultry, seafood, milk, and eggs that are not kept adequately refrigerated or frozen may cause illness if consumed, even when they are thoroughly cooked.

For a full list of food items and how they should be handled following a power outage, visit https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/refridg_food.html

For more information on food safety, contact the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health at 641-421-9300 or visit our website at www.cghealth.com.