Winter Food Safety

Ice, freezing rain, snow, or heavy winds can cause power outages that can put our food in danger. Many may think that because it is cold outside, that our food will remain safe during a power outage, but that is not the case. Food can still be exposed to the “temperature danger zone”, which is anytime temperature sensitive food is held between 40 and 140°F. When food is exposed to this danger zone, it gives illness-causing microorganisms the time to multiply which can make you and your loved ones sick.

To prepare ahead of time, stock up on water and non-perishable foods that can be eaten cold or heated on an outdoor grill. Make sure you have a hand-held can opener for any canned goods and battery-operated thermometers to monitor temperatures in your coolers, refrigerators, and freezers. If you have children or pets, don’t forget to stock up on ready-to-eat infant formula or baby food and pet food as well.

Group food in your refrigerators and freezers together to help them stay cold for a longer time. You can also freeze any items that you may not need right away like leftovers and fresh meat/poultry. Keep ice packs, filled frozen bags, jugs of water, or bags of ice in the freezer.

You can use the cold weather to your advantage to plan. When the weather is cold enough, you can place water in buckets, storage bags, or jugs and leave them outside to freeze. They can be used to keep your freezer or refrigerator cold if the power does go out. Make sure you use thermometers to monitor temperatures in your coolers or appliances.

Once the power returns, throw out any food that has an unusual odor, color or texture or feels warm to the touch. Never taste a food to decide if it’s safe. Throw out any food that was in a refrigerator with no power for 4 hours or more and anything from the freezer that has completely thawed. Check the internal temperature of food and discard any that were at 40°F or above for 2 hours or more. If the items in the freezer are still partially frozen, they are safe to be refrozen. If you are careful to not open the freezer too often, food should stay frozen for about 48 hours in a freezer that is more than half way full, or 24 hours if it is less than half full.

You cannot always tell if the food went bad just by an off odor or taste. Most illness-causing microorganisms cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted. When in doubt, throw it out.

If you have any questions on this topic, or any food safety questions, contact your local Penn State Extension Office.

Nicole McGeehan is a Penn State Extension educator serving Monroe County and surrounding counties in Northeast Pennsylvania.