Barbara Hruska, director of the Department of Public Health and Environment’s Consumer Protection Division, said, “The loss of electricity may cause perishable and frozen foods to become spoiled and cause illness if eaten, even if the food is thoroughly cooked. Do not trust your eyes or sense of smell. Food may be unsafe to eat, even if it doesn’t look or smell bad.”
Hruska provided these food safety tips to follow whenever the power goes out:
- Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.
- The refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours if it is unopened.
- A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.
- If the food stored in the refrigerator has been held above 41 F for more than four hours, throw it away.
- If food stored in the freezer has thawed but is still below 41 F, it can be refrozen. Although the quality of the food may be compromised, it still should be safe to eat.
More information about food and health safety can be found at: http://jeffco.us/health/health_T111_R298.htm
There is information on this website for health concerns related to smoke, health related information for properties affected by forest fire, fire ash clean up, as well as links to the CDC Wildfires and Safety webpage and the CDPHE Health Advisories webpage.
