Power outage food safety: what to keep and what to toss

The numbers to remember

• Refrigerator: about 4 hours, doors closed.
• Full freezer: about 48 hours, doors closed.
• Half-full freezer: about 24 hours, doors closed.
• Safe temperatures: 40°F or colder in the fridge, 0°F or colder in the freezer.

Every time you open the door, warm air gets in and the clock speeds up. In an Atlanta summer, when the kitchen heats up fast without A/C, that happens even quicker.

Before the power goes out

• Put a thermometer in your fridge and freezer. It's the only way to know for sure once the power comes back.
• Freeze some water. Jugs or containers of ice help keep the freezer cold and can go in a cooler later.
• Keep a cooler handy, and know where you can get ice.
• Fill empty freezer space. A full freezer stays cold about twice as long as a half-empty one.

During the outage

• Keep the doors closed as much as you can.
• Move fridge food to a cooler with ice if the outage looks like it will last more than four hours.
• Never taste food to check it. Food that's gone bad can look and smell fine.

After the power comes back

• Check the thermometers. Fridge food that sat above 40°F for more than two hours should be thrown out.
• Go item by item. Meat, poultry, seafood, milk, soft cheese, eggs and leftovers are the ones to worry about most.
• Medicine too. Some medicines, like insulin, need to stay cold. Check the label or ask your pharmacist.

Losing a fridge full of food every storm?

A grocery run after every long outage adds up, and so does a freezer full of meat from the warehouse store. A standby generator starts on its own within seconds of an outage and keeps your fridge and freezer running, even when you're not home. It's one of the most common reasons Atlanta families call us.

Sources: USDA, food safety during a power outage; FoodSafety.gov, food safety during power outages.

Questions

Can I refreeze food that thawed?

The USDA says food that still has ice crystals or has stayed at 40°F or colder can usually be refrozen, though the quality may drop. If you're not sure how warm it got, throw it out.

Will a standby generator run my fridge and freezer?

Yes. Even our smallest size covers the essentials, fridge and freezer included. James sizes your generator to what you want running.